During its March 18th meeting, the Plone Foundation Board formalized the decision to rename existing repositories branch names from master to main. The name of the default branch for new repositories is already set to main.
As we are a large organization with hundreds of repositories, the renaming must be done in an automated way, so the AI Team will handle the renaming using a script leveraging Github API.
Move any branch protection rules that explicitly reference the old name
Update the branch used to build GitHub Pages, if applicable
Show a notice to repository contributors, maintainers, and admins on the repository homepage with instructions to update local copies of the repository
Show a notice to contributors who git push to the old branch
Redirect web requests for the old branch name to the new branch name
Return a "Moved Permanently" response in API requests for the old branch name
I did this manually for the three Pylons Projects repos I maintain because I do not want to inadvertently offend anyone. The other Pylons Project maintainers are watching Plone to see how its automation works for them.
I was aware of the change GitHub proposed a while ago. I don't mind the rename on its own. But I do think it is for the wrong reason. Renaming master to main won't make the history go away. Besides, it is introducing group guilt which is just absurd. I am afraid it is very dangerous: not the renaming, but the ideology behind it.
Obviously history cannot be erased. What's done is done. That's not the reason to do this.
If the branch were named stevepiercys_race_is_inferior_and_subservient_and_we_choose_to_perpetuate_the_connotation_by_doing_nothing, I would appreciate the renaming to main.
Being a member of privileged group, I have never lived what others outside that group have experienced. Doing nothing to end it has the same result as perpetuating it.
