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Comment by pbiggar | Hacker News Reader

Something about this rubs me slightly wrong. I think it's "my girlfriend" and "My boyfriend" and "I know very little about programming, but I do know that his startup is awesome". I don't know the words to describe it, but it feels like a weird gender-in-CS thing. Anyone know more technical terms for this?

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The guy has a girlfriend and he obviously had a conversation with her where he was too afraid to put it on HN. She took the initiative, as a good woman should do, and did an excellent job demonstrating the tool.

So I would say the more technical term for your feeling is: nonsensical.

"where he was too afraid to put it on HN"

Hard to believe he was "afraid". More likely simply a gimmick to make it stand out (not implying negative by use of that word).

Besides I don't get this:

"My boyfriend Mark is way too much of a perfectionist to post his startup on HN"

He posted his startup on HN that is "marknadal" posted the link to his girlfriends video.

And what does being a perfectionist have to do with this anyway?

I took it to mean that he wouldn't get it done on his own b/c he would never be satisfied with the post. IOW, he was too shy.

Fine. gimmick or not. Give the guy credit for creating a good launch narrative in a sea of "Check out my start-up" posts. This is clever marketing, the conversation doesn't have to go much further.

Hahaha, Thank you. I think we get a little too "technical" sometimes.

If we had a gender neutral way of describing a romantic relationship with someone that'd fix it. Right now perhaps it seems like this is specifically targeting gender when it isn't actually the intent.

I've never dated someone who understands what I do so I relate to this but it has nothing to do gender other than I'm a straight male.

the term you are looking for is "significant other".

"An unrelated person of unspecified gender tries to explain my startup in 90 seconds"

better?

I think it's "my girlfriend" and "My boyfriend"

I wonder if it's just safer in the tech online social scene nowadays to avoid gender and say things like "my partner" to avoid gender related trouble. A curious contrast against how we'd speak in regular life. Related: http://tomayko.com/writings/rest-to-my-wife

The problem with partner on HN is it makes me think co-founder or the like. :-\

SO (Significant Other) is solid gender neutral verbiage IMHO

Ah yes, but then people will think you're pandering to the Evil Denizens of Political Correctness that are ruining discourse on the Internet.

In short, you can't win with everybody no matter what you do. :-/

Thank you! It's so obvious but I missed that. Also this term implies marriage (to me at least). #sigh

It's amazing how hard this is.

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