Julian Andres Klode wrote:
>> I'd like to move away from the master/slave terminology used in
>> update-alternatives for both the external interfaces (CLI options,
>> output fields) obviously preserving backwards compatibility, docs
>> and for all the internal code symbols. For the same reasons as mentioned
>> in <https://lists.debian.org/debian-dpkg/2021/03/msg00002.html>. (This
>> is bug #884368.)
[...]
>
> I want to suggest root and leaf.
"Leaf" is a good idea - definitely an improvement on "slave" imagery!
"Root" isn't the only option for the converse; others include "trunk"
or "stem" (real-world root systems branch out in much the same way as
leaves do, though computer jargon mostly ignores this). Or then again
you could mix metaphors and have "main" versus "leaf".
--
JBR with qualifications in linguistics, experience as a Debian
sysadmin, and probably no clue about this particular package
