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Developer Misinterprets Linux Code of Conduct, Suggests Replacing F-Word with 'Hug' (neowin.net)

Seeking compliance with Linux's new Code of Conduct, Intel software engineer Jarkko Sakkinen recently requested comments on a set of changes to kernel code comments which Neowin described as "replacing the F-word with 'hug'. "

80 comments quickly followed on the Linux Kernel Maintainer's List: Several contributors responded to the alterations calling them insane. One wondered if Sakkinen was just trying to make a joke, and another called it censorship and said he'd refuse to apply any sort of patches like this to the code he's in charge of...

Some of the post-change comments read "Some Athlon laptops have really hugged PST tables", "If you don't see why, please stay the hug away from my code", and "Only Sun can take such nice parts and hug up the programming interface".

Eventually LWN.net publisher Jonathan Corbet deflated most of the controversy by pointing out that Linux's new Code of Conduct applies to future comments but clearly indicates that it does not apply explicitly to past comments.

And Jarkko Sakkinen acknowledged that he had missed that part of the discussion.

49 of 402 comments (clear)

  1. Snowflake developers can hug off by mfearby · · Score: 5, Funny

    If seeing the F-word in the Linux source code is a bit too much for you, then perhaps you'd be better off making yet another set of pretty icons for GNOME or KDE.

    1. Re:Snowflake developers can hug off by JaredOfEuropa · · Score: 4, Insightful

      This argument comes up in any discussion about what language we should use. The choice of language is somewhat secondary; what really matters is the exact meaning of the word "should" in that sentence. Or rather: what the consequences are of using the wrong language - in any situation. Most people would agree that it's better not to use swear words or insults, but what happens if someone does? Being told off for bad manners, having bad words censored, seeing your pull request denied or your paper rejected, public shaming, being ostracized from the community, fired, or even prosecuted in court? When people talk about acceptable language in their communities these days, the full range of those consequences will be openly discussed and often seriously considered.

      It's good to have a code of conduct - written or unwritten - in any community, but when transgressions carry serious consequences, you'll invariably see some perverted snowflakes push the boundaries of what's acceptable, and gleefully call out violators, especially those with opposing viewpoints. Can't say fuck anymore. Or black. Or master / slave. Peek and poke? Nope. Male / female connectors are out. Can't insult anyone or anything... and you violate that rule whenever someone, anyone feels insulted. Or just crabby.

      Codes of conduct regarding acceptable language are best left unwritten, and are certainly best left undiscussed at length. Because the more you discuss them, the more you formalize them, the worse they get.

      --
      If construction was anything like programming, an incorrectly fitted lock would bring down the entire building...
    2. Re:Snowflake developers can hug off by gnasher719 · · Score: 2

      The guy accidentally created and then pushed a patch to change "fuck" to "hug"? Bullshit. It was deliberate trolling.

      It was stupidity. He took comments that were on the rude side, but perfectly reasonable, and changed them into comments that made no sense. I wouldn't have minded at all if he had removed the f-words _while retaining what the comment said_.

      For example, you could call PST tables "extraordinarily bad designed" instead of "f***ed up". No complaint. But "hugged up" is just stupid.

    3. Re:Snowflake developers can hug off by chmod+a+x+mojo · · Score: 2

      Everyone needs to calm the fuck down and lighten up.

      No. Revisionist history should be fought whenever it attempts to rear its ugly head. You can't just mask history because the truth in inconvenient to you, or because it makes you feel uncomfortable. That's how you get repeats of easily deplorable events that could have been avoided.

      Those comments in the code are a historical marker of the times when it was written, and should not be tampered with. It helps create a well defined delineation of when the kernel went from a true meritocracy to when the CoC demanders took over. We will be able to look back and see exactly the effects the CoC had on kernel development, whether good or bad, after a long enough period of time passes.

      --
      To err is human; effective mayhem requires the root password!
    4. Re: Snowflake developers can hug off by dcw3 · · Score: 2

      It's supposed to be an "h bomb" now.

      --
      Just another day in Paradise
  2. I don't give two shits about the word fuck by rsilvergun · · Score: 3, Insightful

    It's the intent behind it that matters.

    --
    Hi! I make Firefox Plug-ins. Check 'em out @ https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/youtube-mp3-podcaster/
    1. Re:I don't give two shits about the word fuck by Z80a · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Intent of controlling speech until the project turns into a dystopian nightmare? as soon this kind of people get the hands on the hammer, everything goes to hell.
      I seem examples on all the sides, even non political sides where it's the same.
      The thin skinned guy gets the control over the thing and starts to overreach more and more until the thing is dead.
      Even places like chans can fall for this, with a guy wanting to "combat the cancer" ending up permabanning people for grammar errors or liking the wrong video game console.

    2. Re:I don't give two shits about the word fuck by DogDude · · Score: 3, Insightful

      There's a lot of space between "don't be an asshole" and the project being dead. A whole lot of space.

      --
      I don't respond to AC's.
    3. Re:I don't give two shits about the word fuck by Z80a · · Score: 3, Insightful

      The definition of asshole that is a problem.
      There are certain people that declares everyone that don't follow a very narrow definition of people as "not an asshole".

    4. Re:I don't give two shits about the word fuck by DNS-and-BIND · · Score: 5, Insightful

      The intent of controlling other people's speech is pretty fucking bad.

      --
      Shutting down free speech with violence isn't fighting fascism. It IS fascism!
    5. Re: I don't give two shits about the word fuck by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

      Bzzzt. You used a "bad" word. Now we all have to ignore you for being a hugface.

    6. Re:I don't give two shits about the word fuck by DNS-and-BIND · · Score: 4, Insightful

      So using the word fuck is being an asshole now? Wow, you people really are fragile snowflakes.

      --
      Shutting down free speech with violence isn't fighting fascism. It IS fascism!
    7. Re:I don't give two shits about the word fuck by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

      There's a lot of space between "don't be an asshole" and the project being dead. A whole lot of space.

      Never underestimate the destructive power that sjws can have on anything that they touch.My code of conduct is simple : SJWs can fuck off.

    8. Re:I don't give two shits about the word fuck by natmakarvitch · · Score: 2

      "I like offending people because I think people who get offended should be offended." is (mis?)attributed to Linus Torvalds.

    9. Re:I don't give two shits about the word fuck by Oligonicella · · Score: 2

      Then grow a tougher skin and don't do it. Changing those words for the sake of changing them is just posturing.

    10. Re:I don't give two shits about the word fuck by dcw3 · · Score: 2

      Yes, I agree that it is. But not necessarily when you're in a work environment. I'm fine with an employer requiring a certain amount of decorum. That doesn't mean that we shouldn't be allowed to blurt out the occasional expletive. But, in a professional workplace f-bombs shouldn't be left in your code, certainly not if you're actually passing along any source code to customers.

      --
      Just another day in Paradise
  3. Oh, brother by 93+Escort+Wagon · · Score: 5, Funny

    I can't hugging believe this...

    --
    #DeleteChrome
    1. Re:Oh, brother by rl117 · · Score: 4, Interesting

      I know you meant it as a joke, but language can change exactly like this. When I was at school, a popular insult was to call people a "spaz" (spastic). Because of its use as a generic insult, some do-gooders required everyone to refer to disabled people as "special". Result: "special" becomes a generic insult. Like: "You're a bit special, aren't you" is equivalent to "you're a spaz" or "you're a retard". More recently, the charity the Spastic Society renamed themselves to "Scope". Result: spastic children are now insultingly referred to as "scopers". So the word "scope" is now also an insult in its own right. The point being, no matter how much do-gooders and SJWs clamp down on acceptable language use, the remaining "permitted" words will be adapted to replace them, turning the "new inclusive terminology" on its own head. This isn't a battle they can win, because human nature, at its nastiest best, will always be creative enough to come up with new "bad" language! And while I don't condone bullying or insulting, it does make me happy to see people sticking their fingers up at the SJW-enforced norms.

  4. newspeak by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Just last night I had a nightmare where I had to submit to the SJW thoughtpolice agenda or get shunned out of my programming group. It was straight out of 1984. That's exactly where this is heading. Fuck your feelings. Stop this Code of Conduct nonsense now.

    1. Re:newspeak by fodder69 · · Score: 2

      How about the expectation that you conduct yourself like a professional in a project that is used worldwide? I don;t what the fuck is wrong with you people that you think its so complicated.

      See i can say that in a private medium, if I sent that email around work you can bet I'd be shown the door quick as fuck.

  5. Such a good use of time by alvinrod · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I'm glad to see that the code of conduct is resulting such good use of developer time.

    These sad, sad people clearly need a hug.

    1. Re:Such a good use of time by jfdavis668 · · Score: 4, Funny

      I think you need a hug.

    2. Re:Such a good use of time by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

      She has herpes. You're hugged.

  6. PST Table by dohzer · · Score: 3, Interesting

    What's a PST table used for, and why is it a problem with Athlon laptops?

    1. Re:PST Table by AmiMoJo · · Score: 3, Informative

      It's a table baked in to the BIOS that describes the available power states for the CPU, so that it can do energy saving. Apparently the ones for the Athlon were somehow fucked up.

      --
      const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
      SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
  7. Oh for Hugs sake! by The_Other_Kelly · · Score: 2

    Oh just go and get absolutely Hugged!

    I am sick to Hugging death of these MotherHugging Hugs,
    sticking their Huggers into things that do not concern them.

    The absolute Hugs!

    When I was young, no-one gave a Hug about this Smile.

    Now we are up to our ears in Smile, while every Hug
    whines about how no-one give a Hug about them.

    Everything is Huggy, and we have to call it all the Hug out.

    Peace, my Neckers.

    --
    (R)ule in Hell or (S)erve in Heaven [R]?
  8. Re: Doesn't this beg the question... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    You can bloody well go fuck yourself for trying to equate colorful language with racist speech.

  9. Re:"Fuck" is not professional by alvinrod · · Score: 4, Insightful

    You must be pretty damn sanctimonious to have never used "fuck" or any other language someone else might find objectionable in a professional setting. Maybe you have the benefit of only working with individuals just as or more competent than yourself, but there are some people who need to be told to stay the fuck away from something, or they will fuck it up and make a real fucking mess of things.

    Myself, I'd rather be told to "fuck off" if I need to be. If I think it's out of line, I'll let you know. If I think you're being an abusive asshole, I'll let you know that too. Otherwise I'd rather not sit through some milquetoast discussion where it feels like someone is trying to address a five year old child that shouldn't hear the bad words. Frankly, that's more dehumanizing than someone being pissed off.

  10. Equal Rights means... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Insightful

    It's a good idea to treat people with respect.

    But saying a piece of hardware fucked up some table is not attacking a person. We're going too far with the SJW speech-police. Sometimes it's necessary to make a point strongly.

    If you want equal rights, that means you don't get to demand special protections for your feelings. Equal means equal: you should be adult enough to accept that the real world has some level of swearing in it.

    This kind of thing is a cancer and will spread if it isn't carved out. Eventually we'll be more focused on policing speech than on technology. It will not end well.

    1. Re:Equal Rights means... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

      But saying a piece of hardware fucked up some table is not attacking a person

      What happens if I identify as a piece of hardware? Didn't think about that did you.

    2. Re:Equal Rights means... by ClickOnThis · · Score: 4, Insightful

      What does this have to do with equality? This is about civility.

      There have been many professions that have achieved a practice of civility without sacrificing value. I see no reason why software development can't do the same.

      --
      If it weren't for deadlines, nothing would be late.
    3. Re:Equal Rights means... by DNS-and-BIND · · Score: 2

      Are we in Bizarro World? The Left has spent the last few decades burning down civility as you consider it a tool of oppression. Now that you have power, suddenly we need to be civil? This makes zero sense.

      --
      Shutting down free speech with violence isn't fighting fascism. It IS fascism!
  11. Bad rules are always open for interpretation by guruevi · · Score: 4, Insightful

    That's why these kinds of exercises always end up in disaster. If your rule is any more complex than "Nobody shall prohibit anyone their natural rights to freedom of speech" it ALWAYS ends up being initially misinterpreted, and later abused by those in power.

    --
    Custom electronics and digital signage for your business: www.evcircuits.com
    1. Re:Bad rules are always open for interpretation by guruevi · · Score: 2

      Well, but that's the crux of the problem all the time with all these . "If only it were implemented right" - Mao, Stalin, Pol Pot, Kim Jong, Castro, Maduro - if only they did the communism thing "right", history would've been a lot better.

      The problem with centralizing power into a single point (which is one of the main requirements/tenets that any implementation of an anti-free speech/communist leadership requires; someone to decide what speech is acceptable for the "community") is at some point corruption will set in and by design of these there is no "free speech" to oppose it, maybe not today but plenty of projects have already died at the hands of a CoC. The USSR was a US ally against Hitler at one point too.

      The SJW apocalypse has already happened over and over again across various communities. They're not easily resolved, this is a misinterpretation of the rules but not all the rules are quite as clear how about one of these main tenets:
      "Other conduct which could reasonably be considered inappropriate"
      --> Into what context? Into what country? Into what mindset? Into what political climate? In Japanese you can insult someone by calling them the wrong 'you'. In most local European cultures refusing to use the proper male or female pronouns (he/she) is considered highly offensive which some American sufferers of DSM-diagnosed mental issues considers them highly offensive to use them at all.

      --
      Custom electronics and digital signage for your business: www.evcircuits.com
  12. Re:"Fuck" is not professional by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Why do you assume that anyone who would say "stay the fuck away from my code" must be a male? Is it not possible for a female programmer to say that? Would that be toxic femininity?

    It's hard to keep track of all these bigoted memes the Left invents each day to signal how non-bigoted they are.

  13. Re:"Fuck" is not professional by ClickOnThis · · Score: 2

    You must be pretty damn sanctimonious to have never used "fuck" or any other language someone else might find objectionable in a professional setting. Maybe you have the benefit of only working with individuals just as or more competent than yourself, but there are some people who need to be told to stay the fuck away from something, or they will fuck it up and make a real fucking mess of things.

    Try repeatedly dropping f-bombs on people face to face at a workplace, and see how long you last.

    It's easy to be far less civil with someone you're not in the same room with. Just look at the way people behave on this site. Often it is not "professional."

    --
    If it weren't for deadlines, nothing would be late.
  14. Re:"Fuck" is not professional by HornWumpus · · Score: 2, Insightful

    I've fired nice polite people for being fucking incompetent air thieves.

    I've left threats of physical violence in comments, for good reason. If you'd cleaned up _that_ block of code you would too.

    I don't 'act' professional, I am professional.

    --
    John McAfee 'It was like that time I hired that Bangkok prostitute; to do my taxes, while I fucked my accountant'
  15. I always wondered about that creepy guy by ChunderDownunder · · Score: 5, Funny

    in the town square with the cardboard sign that said Free Hugs.

    Shouldn't that be Libre Hugs?

    1. Re:I always wondered about that creepy guy by 93+Escort+Wagon · · Score: 2

      GNU/Hugs

      --
      #DeleteChrome
  16. Re:"Fuck" is not professional by HornWumpus · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Bullshit, we don't hate female coders, we hate having incompetent coders on our team.

    Good female coders also hate fixing incompetents shit, can and do cuss like sailors.

    How do you tell someone's sex over the internet anyhow? rChromosomeTest.exe?

    --
    John McAfee 'It was like that time I hired that Bangkok prostitute; to do my taxes, while I fucked my accountant'
  17. Re: "Fuck" is not professional by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Actually, there is a direct and strong correlation between race and violent crime which persists across all class strata.

    In addition, rich black people are even more likely to commit violent crimes compared to rich white people than poor blacks versus poor whites.

    The more rich blacks are, the more violent they become, per capita.

    That's saying a lot, too, because they are 17 times more likely to commit violent crimes than white people.

    Enjoy further reading, which has been suppressed by Google.

    http://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/htus8008.pdf

    http://www.fbi.gov/stats-services/crimestats

  18. Re:Left a job because of too much cussing everywhe by Ol+Olsoc · · Score: 3, Insightful

    If you are so immature that other words can't fulfil your need to express displeasure about some work, I feel sorry for you, your friends, and your family.

    Would you say it to your 6 yr old daughter?

    Swearing is stupid, but Your deep seated need to control others speech patterns is silly.

    And no - I wouldn't say fuck or whatever word triggers you in front of a child, or my mother, or Jeebuz either. I have a magic ability to tailor my speech to the group I'm with.

    --
    The shepherds did so well protecting the flock that the sheep no longer believed that wolves existed.
  19. Re:"Fuck" is not professional by Antique+Geekmeister · · Score: 2

    I do try to avoid using it in print, except as a quote. It lacks distinction, and is so over-used that has little impact.

  20. Re:"Fuck" is not professional by ljw1004 · · Score: 2, Insightful

    You must be pretty damn sanctimonious to have never used "fuck" or any other language someone else might find objectionable in a professional setting.

    That's quite a shifted goalpost. "Fuck or any other language someone else might find objectionable".

    For what it's worth, I've never used "fuck" in 7 post-grad years in academia nor my 14 years in the software industry, and nor have I heard the word used in a way that was directed at a current or former colleague, nor at their work. I've worked with plenty people smarter than me and less smart, and plenty people more industrious than me and less industrious.

    (per the terms of your shifted goalpost, there have been in that time lots of words that someone else might find objectionable, but that's such a watered-down goalpost that it's meaningless).

    If someone needs to stay away from something, I normally say something like "Jones, I don't want you to work on this" or "Jones, don't work on this". The word fuck isn't needed to make my instruction stronger, and indeed wouldn't make it stronger.

    If someone has made a mess of things in the past, I've said stuff like "the architecture for this model wasn't suited to the use-cases, and it'll require a ground-up rewrite, otherwise we'll face risks XYZ". Phrasing it as you suggested "fucked up and made a real fucking mess of things" isn't as actionable, wouldn't be as respected by management, and I'm having a hard time believing it would deliver results as well.

    I'd rather not sit through some milquetoast discussion

    None of what I've said is milquetoast. It's more directed and actionable that your suggested fuck phrasing, and it's effective at getting results.

  21. Re:What F-word? by novakyu · · Score: 2, Funny

    Clearly they mean "French" or "France". The most insulting words in the English language. I fully support the efforts of the valiant warriors to outlaw France. Fuck France.

  22. Re:Left a job because of too much cussing everywhe by iamacat · · Score: 2

    Would you say it to your 6 yr old daughter?

    Do you want to work with a bunch of 6 year olds?

  23. Will lead to losing the word "hug" in english by Baki · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Word police cannot change the way people think.

    The result will be that more and more people, when using "hug" in the normal way, will associate it with todays use of the f-word. So they will seek and find a replacement, use a synonym, when really wanting to express "hug".

    It is a pointless excercise, only making the language a bit poorer or distorted.

  24. Nobody wants that job by WoodstockJeff · · Score: 2

    Correction - Nobody you would WANT to do that job will want that job.

    There are, however, a large number of people YEARNING to be a "perverted authority figure".

    And they are the biggest proponents of "Code of Conducts", so as to make it possible for them to do "that job".

  25. Re:What F-word? by dcw3 · · Score: 2

    Apparently, it also means "Flamebait" because some fuckwit w/o out a sense of humor decided to mark yours that way. Wish I had mod points for you.

    --
    Just another day in Paradise