[sudhirj]

The 'master' branch uses the word the same way an audio recording does. There isn't a corresponding slave.

The word does come up in database replicas, which are often called master/slave. I can see a clear case where that would be offensive.

Renaming the master branch might be throwing the baby out with the bathwater, but it's just easier to do that right now, and it's a small price to pay.