Computers are built using various components that each play some specific role. One particular component is the hard drive. Most computers have one, and some have more than one. For a standard Intel-based PC (what most people use to run Windows), the addition of a second hard drive means you need to help the computer understand which drive is primary and which is secondary. But it's more than just a hierarchical configuration, as the primary drive will (to some extent) control the secondary drive. The terms used to describe this relationship are Master and Slave. The Master drive would be the primary drive, and if a second drive exists, it would be the Slave and thus controlled by the Master. Well, that's the way things have been for a very long time, but times are changing. Just as janitors are now Custodial Engineers (did they have to study Calculus at some point? Just asking, because every other engineer I know has had to take a few semesters of Calculus), we are now witness to the beginning of the end for "Master/Slave" (to be replaced by what?), thanks to Los Angeles County. See this article at snopes for full details, or this article at CNN.

I can't help but feel like we're collectively taking a huge step backward when people in this country think so hard about things that really don't matter. If it's ok for an individual to take offense to a term that I think is benign, and initiate social change as a result, I would like to state that I'm offended by the person who started this Master/Slave protest, and I would like to have that person banned from existence because I am uncomfortable knowing that person is running around my country taking offense at silly things. Should we ban the use of a mouse because it insults those without hands? Perhaps we could come up with a better name for "computer memory" (aka "ram"), because it might be offensive to people who are extremely forgetful. Sadly, there's a fine line between the true story of L.A. County banning the use of "Master/Slave", and humorous fiction from The Onion.