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Re: metaphors and feminism



Paul Wise writes ("Re: metaphors and feminism"):
> Personally I think the phrase "Debian Developer" and the abbreviation
> DD is a relic of an earlier era when the set of tasks available to
> Debian contributors were more technical and less varied.

As the person perhaps most responsible for the choice of the word
`Developer' I think your explanation is very ... charitable.  It is
certainly clear to at least me that it is the wrong word.

> I try to use "Debian member" in mails since it is clearer what that
> means to a larger set of people and I'd like to see Debian culture
> (and perhaps the official documents) move towards that too.

I see other people doing this too.  I like it.

The problem of course is that the official term is not "member" so
this is unclear and arguably wrong in some sense.  It should be.  I
would second a GR to change it.

There is also a problem with acronyms.  Debian Member => "DM" but we
already have "Debian Maintainers".  I think it would be best to rename
Debian Maintainers too.  Particularly since you can be a maintainer of
a package in Debian without having your key in the Debian Maintainers'
keyring, so this term is very confusing.

ADM = "Authorised Debian Maintainers" or "Assistant/Associate Debian
Members" or something maybe ?

Ian.

-- 
Ian Jackson <ijackson@chiark.greenend.org.uk>   These opinions are my own.

If I emailed you from an address @fyvzl.net or @evade.org.uk, that is
a private address which bypasses my fierce spamfilter.


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