Revisiting Deprecating `master`

Changing default repo branch names is but a small step toward inclusive language across tech, but is not a replacement for systemic change and recognizing that black lives matter in ALL aspects of our life.

3 years ago I first wrote about the idea of deprecating the use of master. Times have changed and the tools and consensus has changed to reflect that thought. Git recently updated to allow global config changes to use a different default branch name at creation.

GitHub is working towards these goals, and while some changes have been inplemented, they are promising later this year a seamless migration path for existing repositories, which is important for large projects with lots of contributors and forks.

Scott Hanselman has a great overview of how to make branch name changes for local existing repos.

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