> First of all, sexist jokes are a bad thing, but we need to keep in mind the meaning of the word "misogyny": hatred of women.
You are correct in that the definition of misogyny is the hatred or dislike of women or girls. Misogyny can be manifested in the denigration or sexual objectification of women and in entrenched prejudice against women. From Wikipedia (first item in the definition) "Misogyny .... is a central part of sexist prejudice and ideology and, as such, is an important basis for the oppression of females in male-dominated societies. Misogyny is manifested in many different ways, from jokes to pornography..." (Allan G. Johnson).
The attitude expressed in the linked article is that pornography is an appropriate (and amusing) subject to link to something to be used in academic and professional contexts. Further, that it's amusing that pornography is linked to a prominent woman simply by virtue of her surname. In doing so, those who named the programming language and those who find it amusing are denigrating both Linda Boreman and Ada Lovelace and expressing and normalising the attitude that this is amusing and appropriate. I find this a clear case of misogyny.
> I really don't think overreactions like these help anyone.
I don't think it's an overreaction, and I would think that the appropriate reaction is to condemn these instances of misogyny. In doing so, hopefully we can create an environment and industry less hostile to women and girls. I'd say that would help quite a few people.
Did you read the linked article? Linda Boreman/Lovelace was forced into pornography at gunpoint, abused, raped and forced into prostitution. Only misogynists have no problem with that, or with joking about it, whether at work or elsewhere.
> It took some years for me to realise that Linda was named after the porn star Linda Lovelace. It was a subtle joke and allusion to Ada by the language's designers
Try and read this and then explain how this is an appropriate "subtle joke", "allusion to Ada [Lovelace]" and "best name ever for a computer language":