It's been programmer's slang for a very, very long time. At least back to the '70s.
I'm a graybeard, and I don't avoid using the term, nor do I find it offensive. It just means someone who's been doing this for a long time.
> There is absolutely no chance that someone says "I talked to a graybeard about it" to mean that they spoke to a (older) female programmer.
Since I've absolutely heard it used in reference to female programmers, there is more than "no chance".
In my experience, it's a bit like the term "guys". It may have been gendered at first, but it has largely lost the gendered connotations.
It's been programmer's slang for a very, very long time. At least back to the '70s.
I'm a graybeard, and I don't avoid using the term, nor do I find it offensive. It just means someone who's been doing this for a long time.
> There is absolutely no chance that someone says "I talked to a graybeard about it" to mean that they spoke to a (older) female programmer.
Since I've absolutely heard it used in reference to female programmers, there is more than "no chance".
In my experience, it's a bit like the term "guys". It may have been gendered at first, but it has largely lost the gendered connotations.