Yes exactly. It’s a reference to the recording industry’s practice of calling the final version of an album the “master” which gets sent for duplication.
Well, he doesn't seem so sure about it himself. From the same link:
(But as noted in a separate thread, it is possible it stems from bitkeeper's master/slave terminology. I hoped to do some historical research but health emergency in my family delayed that.)
the impression words form in the reader is more important than their intent
He didn’t intend for the master/slave connotation. He intended for the recording master connotation. Either way, he regrets using the word master and he’s supportive of the change.
But why even? There's no risk to changing it and some risk to keeping it. That's the reason for the push to change it. Keeping something just because it's tradition isn't a good idea outside ceremonies.
There is definitely a risk in changing it. Many automation systems that assume there is a master branch needed to be changed. Something that's trivial yes but changing a perfectly running system is always a potential risk.
Also stuff like tutorials and documentation become outdated.
pray tell me how would you change the name in every script of an automation system that refers to master? Remember, you have to justify the time and cost to your manager or director!
I don’t accept that because everyone’s doing it or “group-think” are valid excuses do jump on a trend. Things like this maybe don’t seem like a big deal for you but for those that hate this culture it’s just one more example of a dumb change being shoved down their throats. This could also be the straw that breaks the camels back.