Questions related to the use of technical language.
47
votes
9answers
2k views
Is the term 'String' too jargony to use in a user interface?
Having worked as a software developer for a long time, I'm out of touch sometimes with whether a word would be considered jargon.
I am adding something to a user interface where a name is given, and ...
37
votes
7answers
2k views
Is there a difference between “disc” and “disk” for naming digital storage media?
I thought that a disc was a disc, and it is sometimes spelled disk. I now have got an indication that those two are not the same thing.
In this answer on Graphic DesignBeta, I wrote floppy disc in ...
33
votes
4answers
2k views
How to pronounce “720p” and “1080p”
How do you pronounce 720p and 1080p?
Because I don't live in a country that uses English, I haven't heard it yet.
I guess it doesn't have a rule.
seven hundred twenty p
seven twenty p
seventy two ...
19
votes
1answer
440 views
Does this device to restrict access to roads have a generic name?
I'm sure we've all seen these devices which can "lock" and "unlock" vehicle entry and exit to an alley / road /etc.
They consist of one or several hefty steel or concrete "pillars" less than a metre ...
13
votes
3answers
4k views
Why is the term “depressed” often used to describe a button which is pressed?
In several books that mention GUI, keyboard, or mouse buttons (e.g. the book Programming Windows by Charles Petzold), the authors refer to the state of a pressed button as depressed. Why is this term ...
12
votes
5answers
5k views
What is antonym of “update”?
The antonym of "upgrade" is "downgrade", quite broadly used.
What is the antonym of "update"?
Update:
Though, I hoped for something like "un-update" because reverting or uninstalling updates are ...
12
votes
2answers
297 views
What is the technical term for the area within a fort?
I would like to know what is the name of the area within a trace italienne fortification, i.e. item 38 in the image here below (which unfortunately was omitted in Wikipedia):
11
votes
1answer
435 views
Logging in or on?
There are a plethora of words for user accounts, like logon, login, signon, and also the action of logging in (or logging on) or signing in.
Are there any usage guidelines here?
10
votes
3answers
2k views
Why “motherboard” is used to refer to main board of computer
Why is motherboard used to refer to the main board of a computer? What is the relationship with the word mother here?
8
votes
1answer
97 views
Origin of word “pad” in the mixing/recording industry
I ask this assuming there are enough people with experience with electric instruments, mixers, and other recording equipment to make this relevant.
On any mixer, one of the first buttons that can be ...
7
votes
3answers
3k views
What is the correct name for posts made on twitter?
Well, I honestly tried to search for this but I drowned in twit* and tweet* results.
Should I write:
"my tweet" or "my twit"?
"I am tweetting" or "I am twitting" ("to twit" vs. "to tweet")?
...
7
votes
2answers
187 views
Is the computer-related term “character” understood by the general population?
The following kind message is common in programming:
Your password must be at least six
characters long and include at least
one letter and one number
Would an average person understand what ...
7
votes
1answer
665 views
When should I use “see” vs. “refer”?
I have this question on using see and refer in technical documentation especially for cross-references information.
I use see when mentioning another section in the same document, for example, for ...
6
votes
3answers
498 views
Is the proper phrasing “SMS” or “SMS Message”?
I know that "SMS" stands for "Short Messaging Service." But,
The term SMS is used as a synonym for all types of short text messaging as
well as the user activity itself in many parts of the ...
6
votes
5answers
1k views
When referring to a previously sent text, would you say 'I text you about that' or 'I texted you about that'?
I realize texted is not a word, but text doesn't seem appropriate in the above sentence. What would make more sense?
6
votes
1answer
2k views
“Production” vs. “manufacturing”
What are the connotations of production and manufacturing? In what situation would you prefer one over the other?
6
votes
6answers
2k views
Why “line of business” applications?
In software, why do we talk about line-of-business applications (sometimes abbreviated to LOB)? Why not just business applications?
So it's useful to distinguish between general software (like email ...
5
votes
7answers
3k views
Is it proper to use the word “bandwidth” as it relates to time allotment?
I'm a web developer and I've often heard other technical and developer types say:
Sorry, I don't have the bandwidth to take on your project at this time.
I started using the term myself and ...
5
votes
2answers
460 views
Pronunciation of GUI in British English
I've heard a lot of Americans pronounce abbreviations like GUI as goo-ey. Is this the same with British English, or is it more common to spell out the word, like gee-you-eye?
5
votes
3answers
305 views
Word for “letter or letter-like character”?
Is there a word for a "letter or letter-like character" in a writing system? With that I mean a grapheme that is not a number, punctuation, special symbol or space, but a letter (alphabet), ...
5
votes
5answers
228 views
“Plugable” or “pluggable”
When it comes to programming copy edits, there are lots of words that would otherwise be thrown out or replaced.
Hive uses a plugable design.
Should that be plugable or pluggable?
If the ...
5
votes
4answers
3k views
“Must Not” or “May Not” - which is the most correct
I work in the IT industry and often read software and standards specifications that start with a section with definitions for certain words used in the document.
Recently I came across the following ...
5
votes
1answer
653 views
What is the meaning of 'probe' in the Linux command 'modprobe'?
My understanding of modprobe is that it is a command to load kernel modules.
Based on this, I'm wondering what the meaning of word probe is in general English?
5
votes
1answer
253 views
Capitalization of “Assembly Language”
This Wikipedia article does not capitalize "assembly language," for understandable reasons. It uses it as an indefinite article, i.e. "an assembly language." But how should it be written when using ...
4
votes
2answers
344 views
What is an “Open loop”?
In "Getting Things Done", David Allen refers to "Open Loops", meaning things that are incomplete.
Q: What past reference to an "Open loop" is he alluding to? Is that phrase "Open Loop" something ...
4
votes
4answers
751 views
Is there a term for a flaw in logic?
I write code for a living and I'm trying to find the right word for a flaw in logic. "Error" seems too vague, I'm looking specifically for a word that describes a flaw in logic.
Addendum 1: This ...
4
votes
4answers
398 views
Synonyms for multiplexing and demultiplexing
I have developed a software mechanism which operates on a certain kind of software entities which are called interfaces. If you want technical details about the mechanism you can read this post on ...
4
votes
2answers
480 views
Usage of “w.r.t.” in academic papers
Is it possible to use the abbreviation "w.r.t." in academic papers?
4
votes
3answers
809 views
Differences between “methods”, “methodologies” and “paradigms”
I'm writing some internal documentation, which I cannot share, in which I outline several ways to accomplish a task. For example, updating software may be accomplished by:
Send a list of what the ...
4
votes
2answers
151 views
Is “re-enqueue” or “reenqueue” a proper word?
This came up while reviewing a technical document:
The algorithm could re-enqueue the id associated with the job ...
This has generated some discussion as the word does not appear in the ...
4
votes
2answers
822 views
Dissecting an English sentence using a pattern?
I am trying to make a script that can dissect an English sentence.
Problem is, I have no idea how to dissect an English when the words are not familiar. I know what the nouns, verbs, etc are, because ...
3
votes
4answers
405 views
Blood - Bloods - pluralisation
Why is it that the plural of 'blood' is 'blood' in normal usage but 'bloods' (e.g. 'I'll be taking some bloods') is acceptable in a medical context? Are there any words with similar pluralisation ...
3
votes
6answers
950 views
How to choose between British and American English for technical documents
I'm not a native English speaker. I'm Italian and I'm doing my thesis in the Netherlands. I have to write technical documents for non-native English speakers, so I didn't receive any advice for ...
3
votes
2answers
198 views
Technical terminology for a non-technical audience
In documentation for a non-technical audience, I was asked about usage around the term "regular expression."
My colleague was asking if one of "RegEx", "Regex" or "regex" would be preferable, I ...
3
votes
1answer
179 views
Isn't Twitter's error message incorrect? [closed]
One of Twitter's error messages reads:
Something is technically wrong.
Of course I understand what they mean, but am I wrong to interpret this as "strictly speaking, there is something wrong" ...
3
votes
2answers
191 views
Jig or template to hold a workpiece
Technical English for a foreigner - please correct and rephrase if you can come up with better alternatives.
A machine in manufacturing usually is fed material or a workpiece to be processed. ...
3
votes
5answers
325 views
What’s the etymology of the word “unstable”, in the context of software?
Approximately when in the history of computing did unstable come to be commonly used to refer to computer software? Can this time in history be linked to the release of a certain product (no jokes ...
3
votes
2answers
102 views
Blockchain or block chain? Double-spend or doublespend?
On the Bitcoin StackExchange site we have a discussion about a few words that you probably won't find in a dictionary right now but that are technical terms used in Bitcoin or cryptocurrency in ...
3
votes
2answers
298 views
Correct version of “Space Bar”
Is it acceptable to spell it "spacebar" or must the word be spelled with a space in it? I'm using it to refer to a keyboard shortcut in my application's documentation.
Further, should it be ...
3
votes
2answers
88 views
Can I grow some gratitude?
Just curious, normally if a person is not appreciating another person that's helping him, the person can tell him to show some gratitude. But how about "grow some gratitude"? It implies the person has ...
3
votes
2answers
98 views
Can “installation” be used to mean software installed in a computer?
Can "installation" be used to mean software installed in a computer? (e.g. portable or stand-alone USB installation)
Example sentence: This feature works in my standard installation of the software, ...
3
votes
2answers
95 views
Reciprocal or converse definitions
I am writing an article where I need to describe an equation like the one below, in reference to two mathematical objects, A and B, that I have already defined in the text.
f = #merge errors + ...
2
votes
6answers
595 views
Is 'low speed' finally proving its merit?
Technically, you should expect the term low speed, not slow speed (which is obviously illogical).
However, it seems the two phrases co-existed as long as one can look back: with low speed fighting ...
2
votes
4answers
494 views
What is the shortest term to refer to people whose mother tongue is English?
What is the shortest term to refer to representatives of peoples and cultures whose mother tongue is English?
Mothertonguers?
Update:
Can't I call them joe?
2
votes
5answers
1k views
Replacement for ‘at the example of ’
I’m currently searching for the title of my research thesis and I can’t find a good phrase.
I did a “Systematic Analysis of fruit growth” in a generic way and additionally applied the analysis to ...
2
votes
3answers
128 views
Is the meaning of “support” in “<product X> supports <feature Y>” commonly understood?
There are numerous examples of the verb support meaning "to be capable of":
IE9 supports HTML5.
The database doesn’t support transactions.
The GPS navigator supports spoken voice directions.
I ...
2
votes
3answers
241 views
“Iterate” and “iteration” as nouns
What are the differences between iterate and iteration as nouns?
I don't quite understand the definition of iterate as noun:
A quantity arrived at by iteration
For example, in computer ...
2
votes
3answers
211 views
How to denote a larger distance
Suppose I have some measurement with interferometer number 1, let's call the result A, and another measurement with interferometer number 2, let's call that one B. Suppose that always A>B (in some ...
2
votes
2answers
109 views
Should I use a comma in written instructions?
I'm writing a technical user guide for a piece of software and am not sure whether I should be using a comma or not when giving instructions. Which of the following is correct?
To add a new item ...
2
votes
1answer
185 views
What is the name for the class of computer programs that act as a front end for a database? [closed]
If you are writing a computer program that manages a large database of clients, like a rolodex, or a program that stores medical records for patients. What is that "class" of program called.
The ...
