Meta post I've decided to make. I enjoyed the unixporn subreddit a lot when I used reddit more. I enjoy customizing my linux de as much as the next nerd.
But you definitely shouldn't use racist slang to refer to the process.
To be clear, I didn't know the origin of the term 'ricing' until fairly recently. I was chattimg with my friend and used it to describe my de setup. They informed me that apparently it's from car customization, and is a pejorative against generally asian men who customize their car to look like a racecar.
After learning this I was sad to realize just how engrained it is in linux de customization culture. I personally have stopped using the term, and I would ask everyone here stop as well.
applied to Unix desktop customization it was popularized on reddit
but yeah that's the whole point, before that it was an obviously racist term
I thought i remembered a long time ago (early 2000s) that it was actually about using rice based ethanol in your sportscar to boost performance somehow.
https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna18615542
https://ftloscience.com/producing-biofuel-from-rice-husk/
at that same time & earlier it was predominantly used to refer to either car enthusiasts themselves or their asian-manufactured, cheap and easy to customize cars. as has been endlessly pointed out in this thread.