55
votes
Accepted
Word for the opposite of a feature in software development. An unwanted feature
It is a design bug - a bug by design. It is sometimes also called a misfeature. That is, it is intentional, part of the design.
(Something that was overlooked at design time can also be called a ...
- 15.3k
51
votes
Word for the opposite of a feature in software development. An unwanted feature
Misfeature is sometimes used for deliberately introduced features that are bad ideas. While mainstream dictionaries have
archaic: a bad or distorted feature (MW)
Wiktionary has
An ...
- 21.9k
43
votes
Alternative terms to "Blacklist" and "Whitelist"
I'm almost a decade late to the party, but I tend to use different terms depending on the context.
When appropriate, I use:
Exclude List
Allow List
In other contexts, I use:
Block List
Allow List
...
- 2,143
24
votes
Why is "closed source" used, and does it parallel "open source"?
I don't see a problem with the phrase "closed source". "Closed" means "not open". The opposite of "the door is open" is "the door is closed", not, "the door is close". Similarly, there is "open mind" ...
- 2,327
19
votes
Does the term 'master' in git (the VC system) refer to slavery?
The term "master" is often used in mechanics to refer to a device that controls other devices.
A common usage is master cylinder, which is a device that controls subordinate devices in a hydraulic ...
- 5,145
17
votes
Word for the opposite of a feature in software development. An unwanted feature
You could use words like nuisance, inconvenience, hassle or menace to refer to such an unwanted feature.
Can you please remove the ability to do XYZ, it is a nuisance?
Although these words are ...
- 1,945
16
votes
Word for the opposite of a feature in software development. An unwanted feature
I sometimes use anti-feature, analogous to anti-pattern--a software code design pattern that is harmful (causes bugs, wastes resources, etc.) and should be avoided. The latter is usually only used ...
- 436
16
votes
Word for the opposite of a feature in software development. An unwanted feature
When the code is correct but the product is not, there is a design defect. Some call it a design flaw.
- 5,184
16
votes
What could you call a library of medical images and other data relating to bones or skeletons?
Do the former patients have easy access to this data? I wouldn't think so. Would there be requests to see old PET scans, MRI images by former patients? Perhaps, but I doubt the images would come with ...
- 92.9k
14
votes
Why is "closed source" used, and does it parallel "open source"?
"Open" is an adjective, and "closed" is the opposite, so "closed source" does indeed parallel "open source".
"To close" is the opposite of the verb "to open".
- 141
14
votes
Code vs. Coding
Code is the result of a coding process. The coding (process) of an algorithm results in executable code (product).
There is a similar question about learn to code vs learn coding. In that case they ...
- 3,244
11
votes
Alternative terms to "Blacklist" and "Whitelist"
UK NCSC to stop using 'whitelist' and 'blacklist' due to racial stereotyping.
The UK cyber-security agency to use "allow list" and "deny list" going forward.
From the article:
"However, there's ...
- 359
11
votes
Word for the opposite of a feature in software development. An unwanted feature
Software engineer here. I would use the word bloat or creep (as in feature creep) to describe these unwanted features. They are neither bugs nor design flaws. I would not use the terms deprecated or ...
- 479
9
votes
Accepted
What is the name for a hardware equivalent of a Widget?
It's still a widget. Widget was a general term for a small piece of hardware long before software existed. The term was just incorporated into software terminology.
The same thing thing applies to &...
- 17.2k
8
votes
Word for the opposite of a feature in software development. An unwanted feature
A particularly apt metaphor that I've run across, although not very common at all, is dead bird feature.
The author of this blog post relates a story wherein a sick cat-owner is presented with a ...
- 1,498
8
votes
Accepted
Proper call to action text for button: "Request system alert to be closed"
TL;DR - Use Request closure.
You're correct that it should be in the imperative. But you need to be careful, because "request" is both the imperative form of "to request" and a noun (meaning "...
- 14.9k
7
votes
Term describing a tolerable error in context of software
Recoverable Error as a distinction from the severe errors / exceptions.
a program error that can be corrected and does not cause the program to fail or irretrievably lose data.
- 1,204
7
votes
Term describing a tolerable error in context of software
There's actually a lot of more-or-less standard terminology for this in various bug-tracking systems.
Cosmetic refers to an error that does not affect functionality, but rather is visual only. ...
- 6,433
7
votes
Using 'all' without a noun or pronoun
All is a Quantifier. That's a part of speech that the Romans didn't know about, so they left it off their lists. Other English quantifiers include
some, any, few, quite a few, many, most, 33, over 50,...
- 109k
6
votes
Proper call to action text for button: "Request system alert to be closed"
Dismiss is often used in this context:
Dismiss
To put off or away, especially from consideration; put aside; reject. - OLD.
Putting something off, casting it away (out of sight etc.) is ...
- 9,713
5
votes
Term describing a tolerable error in context of software
You want WARNING. This isn't really an ELL question - in computer land there is a well established hierarchy of errors you are expected to use. For application logging events should generally be ...
- 617
5
votes
Accepted
Is “kludge” a proper word to name a dirty hack in software development
Eric Raymond, The New Hacker's Dictionary, third edition (1996) goes on at great length (two full pages) about the differences between kluge and kludge, the fact that kluge is the older and (for most ...
- 169k
5
votes
Word for the opposite of a feature in software development. An unwanted feature
In software development, a jargon term for this is cruft.
Cruft is jargon for anything that is left over, redundant and getting
in the way. It is used particularly for superseded and unused
...
5
votes
Accepted
Antonym for "formal methods"
Formal methods use mathematical analysis to derive conclusions. Empirical methods use direct observation.
Here is an example of the phrases used in contrast:
Estimating the relative usability of two ...
- 39k
5
votes
Accepted
Does the term 'master' in git (the VC system) refer to slavery?
Actually, in git the term master does refer to the slavery concept. See this discussion on removing the slavery concept from gnome where Bastien Nocera does a fine job of laying out all the details: ...
- 198
4
votes
Word for the opposite of a feature in software development. An unwanted feature
Feature-Creep; this is when a feature is not designed or planned for that "creeps up" on your project, potentially throwing off all kinds of budget and time-constraint plans.
The concept of feature-...
4
votes
Proper call to action text for button: "Request system alert to be closed"
While "Request closure" is short, it's not an expression usually encountered on software user interfaces.
It's also quite abstract and it doesn't explain the entire behavior very well:
- It doesn't ...
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4
votes
Which article should be used in documenting arguments to a software function
I would say all of those options are correct. There can be a subtle difference in meaning, though:
please specify a patch to the source directory: by using a, it is suggested that several different ...
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