Microsoft's ill-chosen magic constants
Jul. 13th, 2012 06:59 pm![[personal profile]](http://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
mjg59Paolo Bonzini noticed something a little awkward in the Linux kernel support code for Microsoft's HyperV virtualisation environment - specifically, that the magic constant passed through to the hypervisor was "0xB16B00B5", or, in English, "BIG BOOBS". It turns out that this isn't an exception - when the code was originally submitted it also contained "0x0B00B135". That one got removed when the Xen support code was ripped out.
At the most basic level it's just straightforward childish humour, and the use of vaguely-English strings in magic hex constants is hardly uncommon. But it's also specifically male childish humour. Puerile sniggering at breasts contributes to the continuing impression that software development is a boys club where girls aren't welcome. It's especially irritating in this case because Azure may depend on this constant, so changing it will break things.
So, full marks, Microsoft. You've managed to make the kernel more offensive to half the population and you've made it awkward for us to rectify it.
At the most basic level it's just straightforward childish humour, and the use of vaguely-English strings in magic hex constants is hardly uncommon. But it's also specifically male childish humour. Puerile sniggering at breasts contributes to the continuing impression that software development is a boys club where girls aren't welcome. It's especially irritating in this case because Azure may depend on this constant, so changing it will break things.
So, full marks, Microsoft. You've managed to make the kernel more offensive to half the population and you've made it awkward for us to rectify it.
Re: get real
Date: 2012-07-19 11:26 pm (UTC)This entire debate is retarded. All that should matter is this: does the code work? If not, fix it. Otherwise, leave it be.
If someone is this thin skinned over something this harmless, how in the hell do they walk out their bloody door every day?
Re: get real
Date: 2012-07-21 11:00 am (UTC)Srsly, I take your point about political correctness but there's no need to offend a whole other group of people in the process.
(I'm also a woman, and not offended by B00B135 or B16B00B5, it just tells me that some programmers can be silly, hardly news.)
Re: get real
Date: 2012-07-21 06:57 pm (UTC)You need to accept that you are the problem, not us.
Re: get real
Date: 2012-07-22 07:33 am (UTC)Re: get real
Date: 2012-07-22 03:18 pm (UTC)Certainly as a disabled person I hear the term disablism regularly, I've not encountered ablism being used as a term by the disabled community. For example, there is "blogging against disablism day" each year.
Re: get real
Date: 2012-07-22 04:43 pm (UTC)Re: get real
Date: 2012-07-27 11:38 am (UTC)> does the code work? If not, fix it. Otherwise, leave it be.
Are you even a programmer?
> Yay! Political correctness destroys another environment.
Also known as "empathy", but whatever.