Domain |
Instead of |
Use |
Cybersecurity |
blacklist |
deny list |
graylist |
track list or inspect list |
|
whitelist |
allow list |
|
black hat hacker |
malicious actor |
|
gray hat hacker |
hacker |
|
white hat hacker |
computer security expert/specialist, cybersecurity expert, or ethical hacker |
|
Engineering |
product infant mortality |
early life anomaly |
General use |
(to) blackball |
(to) reject |
(to) blackmail |
(to) extort |
|
black market |
illegal market |
|
senior moment |
memory lapse or absentmindedness |
|
tribe |
team or squad |
|
Hardware |
male connector |
plug (preferred), convex, pin, or prong |
female connector |
socket (preferred), concave, receptacle, or slot |
|
kill switch |
power disconnect switch |
|
penetration test |
ingress test |
|
Legal |
grandfather clause |
legacy clause, exempt, or exempted |
Motion |
master* |
leader |
slave* |
follower |
|
Software/programming |
(to) abort |
cancel (preferred) or close (app, program, connection) |
(to) cripple |
degrade/limit performance |
|
dummy value |
placeholder value |
|
(to) hang |
stop responding, stop working, become unresponsive, stop |
|
(to) kill |
cancel (preferred), close (app, program, connection), stop, or end (avoid, except with ‘session’ or ‘call’) |
|
master branch |
main branch |
|
orphan |
abandoned |
|
sanity test |
test, validation, or verification (as appropriate) |
|
(to) segregate |
separate, partition, assign, isolate, or categorize (verb) |
|
(to) terminate |
close (app, program, connection, or client), exit or end (avoid, except with ‘session’ or ‘call’) |
We remain committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion and to changing, for the better, our use of inclusive language. These are the words that we use with our customers, our partners, our employees, and our communities.
In August 2020, we launched the Adopting Inclusive Terminology initiative. The goal of this initiative is to identify, review, and replace non-inclusive terminology. We define non-inclusive terms as terms that are profane or derogatory; terms that contain unconscious bias in relation to race, ethnicity, age, gender, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, health or abilities, socioeconomic status, or political views; and terms that evoke violent metaphors.
The following list includes replacements for non-inclusive terms that we have identified to date.
* The terms ‘master’ and ‘slave’ are two of the most challenging terms that we are currently working on. Guidance in the Motion context has been approved. However, the guidance for replacing these terms is still being developed in these contexts: Redundancy, Replication (data), Time hierarchy and synchronization, and Communications hierarchy and control.
Important: The word ‘master’ is completely acceptable when it is used in some meanings, such as proficiency or excellence. For example, we are not replacing terms master class, Master of Arts, master performer, master of ceremonies, and similar others.
This list is not final. We continue to work with subject matter experts (SMEs), industry peers, and standards organizations to continue identifying suitable replacements.
