TechWhirl (TECHWR-L) is a resource for technical writing and technical communications professionals of all experience levels and in all industries to share their experiences and acquire information.
For two decades, technical communicators have turned to TechWhirl to ask and answer questions about the always-changing world of technical communications, such as tools, skills, career paths, methodologies, and emerging industries. The TechWhirl Archives and magazine, created for, by and about technical writers, offer a wealth of knowledge to everyone with an interest in any aspect of technical communications.
The political correctness issue doesn't bother me
too much. What does bother me
is that the meaning of master and slave in a
computing context is often learned
by experience, rather than being indicated by the
definition of the terms.
Further, the exact meaning of master and slave can
vary widely from application
to application.
Does the master actually control the slave's
appearance or behavior in an active
way? Will changing the master automatically change
the slaves? Is the master
indistinguishable from the slave except by arbitrary
specification?
Here are some possible alternatives:
Control copy and work copy
Master and clone
Original and duplicate
Source and reflection
Primary and secondary
