My girlfriend, not a programmer per say but has done a some technical documentation in her time, says that non-gendered pronouns doesn't make her feel more accepted but gendered pronouns do make her feel less accepted.
I find both "he" and "she" jarring. When there's no reason to use gender, it shouldn't be used.
It makes me think the author either 1.) does not have a strong enough command of the english language to use "they", or 2.) is trying to accomplish something by picking a gender explicitly.
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My girlfriend, not a programmer per say but has done a some technical documentation in her time, says that non-gendered pronouns doesn't make her feel more accepted but gendered pronouns do make her feel less accepted.
I find both "he" and "she" jarring. When there's no reason to use gender, it shouldn't be used.
It makes me think the author either 1.) does not have a strong enough command of the english language to use "they", or 2.) is trying to accomplish something by picking a gender explicitly.
That's well put, and I'm with you, but let's also note that the language norm is in the process of shifting, so it isn't necessarily obvious.