49 replies to this topic

[Motoko.]

Some chucklehead working for Microsoft thought it would be funny to slip a thinly camouflaged sexist remark -- "big boobs" -- into software code that connects the Linux kernel to Microsoft's HyperV virtualization product.
Naturally, someone noticed -- that was the intent (snicker, snicker) - and, as should surprise no one, criticism has ensued, since the vast majority of grownups have come to recognize that this kind of juvenile nonsense has no place in the business world.
And, just as predictably, there are critics of the critics -- apologists and enablers for this chucklehead and others like him -- who insist on defending the non-existent right to be just a little bit sexist, even at work, as long as it's just a little bit and as long as not too many people notice or are offended. Lighten up, you nags, is the operative message from these folks.

(The iPhone will fail, these guys said 5 years ago. Now?)

Yes, still, in the year 2012.
Yesterday I asked Microsoft for comment and a public relations representative said she would seek one. (Update: It arrived 45 minutes after this posted and reads: "We thank the community for reporting this issue and apologize for the offensive string. We have submitted a patch to fix this issue and the change will be published in a future release of the kernel.") Here are the particulars of what happened.
Linux developer Matthew Garrett writes on his blog:

Paolo Bonzini noticed something a little awkward in the Linux kernel support code for Microsoft's HyperV virtualisation environment - specifically, that the magic constant passed through to the hypervisor was "0xB16B00B5", or, in English, "BIG BOOBS". It turns out that this isn't an exception - when the code was originally submitted it also contained "0x0B00B135". That one got removed when the Xen support code was ripped out.
At the most basic level it's just straightforward childish humour, and the use of vaguely-English strings in magic hex constants is hardly uncommon. But it's also specifically male childish humour. Puerile sniggering at breasts contributes to the continuing impression that software development is a boys club where girls aren't welcome.

Piffle, harrumph the apologists, a number of whom contributed their tired rationalizations - "even my wife thinks it's funny" - in the comments on Garrett's post

Network World

Big Boobs by itself shouldn't even be deemed 'sexist'

[simplezz]

Haha

[Edrick Smith]

I don't quite see how this is offensive, it's not like he commented about a co-worker having big boobs or made an insuation that persons with big boobs are "insert some remark about people with big boobs". It's pathetic how easily people get offended.

[myxomatosis]

"Big boobs" is offensive?... Give me a break...

I have a feeling these people who feel offended about "Big Boobs" are the same who fart while eating and find it funny...

[Simon-]

*facepalm* Some people are just hypersensitive. It is not a big deal, just a little Easter egg.

Calling it sexist is not accurate either as it was not used in a statement, only by itself. It is like saying "Rainbow!" and then saying that it is derogative to LGBT people.

[tiagosilva29]

#define HV_XENLINUX_GUEST_ID_LO 0x00000000
#define HV_XENLINUX_GUEST_ID_HI 0x0B00B135 /* #1 */
#define HV_XENLINUX_GUEST_ID (((UINT64)HV_XENLINUX_GUEST_ID_HI << 32) | HV_XENLINUX_GUEST_ID_LO)
#define HV_LINUX_GUEST_ID_LO 0x00000000
#define HV_LINUX_GUEST_ID_HI 0xB16B00B5 /* #2 */

This isn't an "easter egg", but it sure as hell it's stupid as one. Just another microagression.

[Praetor]

puh-lease! this is ridiculous .

[+nik louch]

Didn't Microsoft introduce a "no Easter eggs" policy about 5 years ago, because it technically represented undocumented code? I'm sure I read that...

Update: That was the OS division, as part of their "Trustworthy Computing" exercise.

[dead.cell]

Can't imagine anyone but the IBTC getting outraged by this.

[BajiRav]

Stupid? Yes.
Sexist? No.

[Hell-In-A-Handbasket]

if women are offended by the word Big Boobs, then why do women get or want them

its along same lines of
" Stop Looking At My A**....... THEN STOP PUTTING WORDS ON THEM "

or

" Stop Looking At My Chest /My Eyes Are Up Here.... Then stop wearing your shirts open down to your Belly Button "

[GreyWolf]

It's not an Easter Egg. It's just a pattern to determine if memory has been disturbed. Programmers have been doing this since the inception of hex.... 0xDEADBEEF, 0x0BADF00D, 0xEFEFEFEF... Whether you choose to be offended by it is up to you.

Here is a whole list of them if you wish to be angry for nothing: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hexspeak

[AR556]

Hypersensitivity would've never come about had the right person told someone to "get over it" or "STFU" at the correct moment in time. We enabled whiners and the easily offended by giving them an audience.

[brianshapiro]

This was my response on the comment thread:

I like how "Mr. Big Boobs" , as the author puts it, is assumed to be a big pervert who has sex on the brain.

When I was in elementary school, we used to type out things like "5318008" ("boobies") on our calculator all the time. We didn't even really care what the word referred to, we just thought it was funny that we could spell it out in numbers on the calculator and thought the word "boobies" was funny. I don't think I'd ever put it in code, but if I did it would be out of nostalgia of my childhood and would have nothing to do with me thinking of a particular female body part.

If you really, really think this is a serious issue, go ahead and press on with it. Just don't be judgmental and form all sorts of prejudices about the guy who did it, all while decrying 'sexism.'

[+nik louch]

Not angry or offended, just considered it an Easter Egg which reminded me of the no-eggs policy,,,

The ones you posted are all using 0-9A-F (Hex?), Does bigboobs conform?