I was recently having a chat with friends who were extremely upset about the word 'slave' being used for some computing machines, like master-slave in database replication where the changes made to the master copy are always replicated to the slave copy or in batch operations where a fleet of machines picks up compute jobs from a job queue and executes them. This got me thinking as to what is wrong with using the word 'slave' to refer to machines instead of 'worker'. The word slave implies a lack of agency and volition in choosing one's actions and the recipient of the benefits of these actions while the word worker implies a certain amount of freedom of choice in what the worker chooses to do and also includes the idea if fair remuneration for said work. Given these definition, calling a compute node a 'slave' is the right usage.
Now, if the word also reminds us of a historical period where a group of human beings treated another group inhumanely, and makes us uncomfortable then refusing the use the word won't make history go away. If a word makes you uncomfortable, may be you should introspect and work on yourself so that it doesn't.
Now, if the word also reminds us of a historical period where a group of human beings treated another group inhumanely, and makes us uncomfortable then refusing the use the word won't make history go away. If a word makes you uncomfortable, may be you should introspect and work on yourself so that it doesn't.
