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Comment by kevingadd | Hacker News Reader

I don't know if I would call it tiny; looking at the library naming convention it doesn't seem to be far from the controversy around 'pantyshot' a while back: http://www.zdnet.com/blog/violetblue/when-software-offends-t...

Though I would assume most library authors are not necessarily attempting to be offensive, not the greatest culture to construct around your toolset regardless.

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As biased as I am (very), I'm not sure how this applies, none of the library names I know suggest anything sexist, or otherwise offensive. Now, as for whether naming libraries after sex acts, and possibly body parts, is a good idea, well, does it matter? Worst case it makes your conversations more fun.

Asking a co-worker about the AnAl library could elicit a chuckle, or it could be an example of what alienates female programmers from the game industry. It isn't inherently a big deal, but in the hands of the immature and can easily go from funny to uncomfortable.

If the sexual funniness stems from the library the team is using, then the awkwardness can be addressed in a team meeting well in advance. Perhaps resulting in a only-one-joke-a-day policy or changed pronunciation (e.g. AnAl like "analgesic").

> alienates female programmers from the game industry

Also males such as myself that are just tired of peurile humour when they witness the darker side of their peers so frequently?

You can turn everything uncomfortable, or nothing at all, it's up to the one using the name, not the name itself.

That was business software; this is games. I'd expect the gaming community to be a bit more lenient.

I don't think the gaming community as it exists now would complain, no. However, opinions differ on whether that's a good thing:

http://www.giantbomb.com/news/eight-women-eight-responses-an...

among other examples - what counts as acceptable behavior in the gaming community is a pretty hot topic right now. there is a strong argument to be made that anything that isn't acceptable in the business community should be discouraged in gaming.

damn... yeah fair enough.

"fair enough" is something you say when someone you initially disagreed with makes a point. I don't see any disagreement here. http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/fair_enough

"I don't know if I would" is something you say when you disagree.

In Australia the context is different and implies that you agree that someone is making a point which is fair enough to be valid, in other words that you agree with it.

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