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-----Original Message-----
From: techwr-l-bounces+cvickery=arenasolutions -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
[mailto:techwr-l-bounces+cvickery=arenasolutions -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com]
On Behalf Of Lauren
Sent: Thursday, April 10, 2008 4:37 PM
To: 'Karen Mulholland'; techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
Subject: RE: Replacing "master" and "slave" terminology
Wow. This turned into a busy thread. How about "Employer" and
"Employee"?
"Manager" and "Subordinate"? I've seen the word "Boss" used, but I
don't
know what the subordinate was called.
It's really difficult to get away from the master-slave terminology
because
the relationship doesn't really have a better definition. We don't like
the
terms because of the negative connotations that have, but then we don't
have
non-negative terms for the relationship of two components that function
as
master and slave.
Any terms of human relationships that are not "master" and "slave" tend
to
give autonomy to the components that they do not have. The slave cannot
function without its master. It cannot be a secondary component that
can
function on its own as the term "secondary" implies. The slave cannot
function with another master as the term "client" implies if the terms
"client" and "server" were used.
"Male" and "Female" won't work either because refer to connections
rather
than functions and do not really suggest which component is in control.
For
example, my laptop has a female power connection and the power cord has
a
male connection. Which component is in control? The electrical
connection
or the laptop? Do we know by the connections? To make the male and
female
terminology even less informative, inside each component of my laptop's
power connection is a connection of opposite gender. So, which
component is
which gender?
I think the better question here is, why is there a problem with the
terms
"master" and "slave" when they are used to describe relationships that
are
appropriate for use of the terms?
Lauren
> From: Karen Mulholland
> When two similar things - circuits, devices,
> mechanisms - are set up so that one controls the
> other, it's often called a "master-slave"
> relationship. For example, cars' brake systems have
> master cylinders and slave cylinders.
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