Behaviour and protocol
Inclusive language
At Abtion, we want everybody to feel welcome and safe. In order to facilitate this, we encourage everyone to be mindful about the language they use. Below is a list of words that can be hurtful to other people and should be avoided.
Gendered pronouns
Bad
When the user logs in, he is greeted by a NemID box.
Good
When the user logs in, they are greeted by a NemID box.
Grandfathering
Bad
The current users will be grandfathered when we increase the price of our product.
Good
The current users will be moved to the legacy pricing model when we increase the price of our product.
Man hours
Bad
We have calculated a mythical 120 man hours per month.
Good
We have calculated a mythical 120 work hours per month.
Gendered nouns
Bad
We decided to hire a new chairman and two new salesmen to cope with the increased manpower.
Good
We decided to hire a new chair and two new sales representatives to cope with the increased workforce.
master
branch
Bad
Checkout the
master
branch and start working.
Good
Checkout the
main
branch and start working.
Master/slave
Bad
We configured the database with a master and 10 slaves.
Good
We configured the database with a source and 10 replicas.
Blacklist/whitelist
Bad
All allowed and blocked emails are kept in a whitelist and blacklist, respectively.
Good
All allowed and blocked emails are kept in an allowlist and a blocklist, respectively.
Redlining
Bad
I redlined the areas that need changing.
Good
I highlighted the areas the need changing.
Dummy value
Bad
I filled in the form with dummy values.
Good
I filled in the form with default/example/fake/test values.
Sanity check
Bad
After working from home, we gave the code a sanity check.
Good
After working from home, we double checked the code.
Crazy
Bad
That is a crazy idea.
Good
That is a wild idea.
No-brainer
Bad
This decision is a no-brainer.
Good
This is an easy decision.
Additional reading
- Apple Style Guide
-
[Bias-free communication Microsoft Docs](https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/style-guide/bias-free-communication) - Gender Pronouns: How Small Words Make a Big Difference
- Inclusive Chromium code
- MySQL Terminology Updates
-
[Pronouns Google developer documentation style guide](https://developers.google.com/style/pronouns) -
[Railsguide Wording](https://guides.rubyonrails.org/api_documentation_guidelines.html#wording)