Applies to 2024-05
A Terminology and general vocabulary #
The following two tables define technical terms and general vocabulary for use in SUSE documentation. See also Chapter 6, Language.
If unable to find a term below, check SUSE's official terminology database, TermWeb. It contains company-specific terminology in English and all our supported languages. TermWeb can be accessed only by SUSE employees and external partners with a SUSE account (get one at https://www.suse.com/account/create).
A.1 Terminology #
The following table defines the correct spellings and denominations for technical terms in SUSE documentation. Always use the entry listed under “Accepted” in the table below. All terms are reproduced in sentence-style capitalization.
| Accepted | Rejected [Reason] | Part of Speech; Usage Guideline/Definition |
|---|---|---|
| 32-bit | 32 Bit, 32 bit, 32-Bit, 32Bit, 32bit | adjective |
| 3D | 3 D, 3 d, 3.D., 3.d., 3-D, 3-d, 3d, Three-D | adjective |
| 64-bit | 64 Bit, 64 bit, 64-Bit, 64Bit, 64bit | adjective |
| AArch64 | ARM64, ARMv8 | noun; processor architecture |
| (to) activate sth. | (to) block sth., (to) check sth., (to) choose sth., (to) highlight sth., (to) tick sth. | verb; when referring to check boxes |
| adapter | adaptor | noun |
| add-on | add on, AddOn, addOn, addon | noun |
| address book | addressbook | noun |
| advice | advise [misspelling] | noun |
| (to) advise sth. | (to) advice sth. [misspelling] | verb |
| AMD64/Intel 64 | x64, x86_64, x86-64, 64-bit AMD/Intel, AMD/Intel64 | noun; processor architecture; see also x86 |
| AOO | Aoo, aoo, OO, oo | noun; when referring to versions 3.4 and after; spelling according to project standard; acronym of Apache OpenOffice; see also OOo |
| Apache OpenOffice | Apache Open Office, Apache Openoffice, OpenOffice | noun; when referring to versions 3.4 and after; spelling according to project standard; acronym is AOO; see also OpenOffice.org |
| architecture | arch | noun; hardware platform, especially concerning processor platform |
| appendixes | appendices | noun; plural of appendix |
| application | noun; a computer program designed for a specific task or use | |
| audio CD | Audio CD, Audio-CD, CD-Audio, CD Audio, CD audio | noun |
| back-end | back end, backend | noun |
| (to) back sth. up | (to) backup sth. | verb |
| backup | back-up, back up | noun |
| bare metal | bare-metal, baremetal | noun; a computer without an operating system; also a physical computer (in contrast to a virtualized system) |
| bare-metal | bare metal, baremetal | adjective |
| Bash | BASH, bash | noun; spelling as per the GNU Bash manual |
| Bluetooth | Blue tooth, blue tooth, Blue-tooth, blue-tooth, bluetooth | noun |
| Bluetooth card | wireless card [card has wires attached to it] | noun; card that enables Bluetooth connections. |
| boot disk | boot disc [usually a misspelling], boot-disk, bootdisk | noun; disk for starting the system |
| boot loader | boot-loader, bootloader | noun |
| (to) boot using PXE or (to) boot via PXE | (to) PXE boot | verb |
| Btrfs | B.T.R.F.S., Better FS, BetterFS, Butter FS, ButterFS, btrfs | noun; not an acronym |
| cursor | pointer [used for pointing device input] | noun; on-screen item indicating the position of keyboard input focus; see also pointer |
| CA | C.A., Ca | noun; acronym for certificate authority |
| CD | C.D., Cd | noun; acronym for compact disc |
| CD-ROM | CD ROM, CD-Rom, CD Rom | noun; acronym for compact disc read-only memory |
| CUPS | C.U.P.S., Cups, cups | noun; spelling as per project standard; acronym for Common Unix Printing System |
| case-sensitive | case sensitive, casesensitive | adjective |
| case-insensitive | case insensitive, caseinsensitive | adjective |
| certificate authority | certification authority, certificating authority, certified authority | noun; acronym is CA |
| changelog | change log, change-log, ChangeLog | noun; log of changes to software |
| check box | check-box, checkbox, checking option, tick box | noun; avoid, only mention name of option |
| checklist | check list, check-list, ticklist | noun |
| check mark | check, check-mark, checkmark, tick, tick mark | noun |
| chipset | chip set, chip-set | noun |
| (to) click sth. | (to) click on sth., (to) click onto sth. | verb; using a mouse button, usually to manipulate user interface element; also see press |
| client/server | client server, client-server, client–server, client+server | noun/noun |
| (to) close sth. | (to) abort sth. [negative], (to) exit sth., (to) kill sth., (to) terminate sth. | verb; when referring to closing a window; always use quit when ending an application normally; always use terminate when ending an application forcefully |
| codestream | code stream | noun; stream of code |
| (to) coldplug sth. (into sth.) | (to) cold plug sth. (into sth.), (to) cold-plug sth. (into sth.), (to) coldadd sth., (to) coldswap sth. | verb; adding a component or device to a system while the system is off |
| coldplugging | cold plugging, cold-plugging, coldadding, coldswapping | noun |
| coldpluggable | cold pluggable, cold-pluggable, coldaddable, coldswappable | adjective |
| Common Unix Printing System | Common UNIX Printing System, common Unix printing system | noun; spelling as per project standard; acronym is CUPS |
| command | noun; a signal that initiates an operation defined by an instruction | |
| command line | command-line, commandline | noun |
| command-line | command line, commandline | adjective |
| configuration | config | noun; unless when referring to file extension |
| (to) configure sth. | (to) config sth. | verb |
| (to) connect via SSH (to sth.) | (to) connect by SSH (to sth.), (to) connect over SSH (to sth.), (to) connect through SSH (to sth.), (to) connect with SSH (to sth.), (to) SSH (to sth.), (to) ssh (to sth.), (to) ssh in (to sth.), (to) ssh into sth. | verb |
| console | noun; a physical terminal, used to describe TTYs and PTYs and when talking about consoles (e.g. KVM's console); see also terminal, shell | |
| control center | Control Center, Control center, Control-Center, Control-center, control-center, Controlcenter, controlcenter | noun; generic term, as in: “the YaST control center” or “the KDE control center” |
| crash dump | crashdump | noun |
| (to) create a hard link (to sth.) | (to) hard link (sth.), (to) hardlink (sth.) | verb; see also hard link |
| (to) create a symbolic link (to sth.) | (to) soft link (sth.), (to) softlink (sth.), (to) symbolic link (sth.), (to) symlink (sth.) | verb; see also hard link |
| (to) deactivate sth. | (to) deblock sth., (to) uncheck sth., (to) untick sth. | verb; when referring to check boxes |
| delta RPM | delta-RPM, deltarpm | noun; RPM package that only includes files that changed between a previous and the current version of the package |
| (to) deselect sth. | (to) de-select sth., (to) remove the selection from sth., (to) un-select sth., (to) unselect sth. | verb; when referring to list entries or text; for check boxes, use deactivate |
| DHCP | D.H.C.P., Dhcp, dhcp | noun |
| dial-up | dial up, dialup | only as an adjective |
| dialog | dialog box, dialog window, dialogue [British], mask [Germanism], screen | noun; a secondary window that gives users progress feedback, prompts users to perform a command, enter information or select an option |
| directory | dir, folder | noun |
| DNS | D.N.S., DNS name server, Dns, dns | noun; acronym for dynamic name server |
| (to) double-click sth. | (to) double click sth., (to) double-click on sth., (to) double-click onto sth., (to) doubleclick sth. | verb |
| drop-down list | combination box, combo box, combobox, dropdown, drop-down, drop-down menu, drop-down list box, popover, pull-down menu | noun; GUI element; the list that is opened when clicking on it, showing a list of menu items the user can choose from; if list entries start actions, use menu instead |
| DVD | D.V.D., Dvd | noun; acronym for digital versatile disc |
| dynamic name server | Dynamic Name Server, Dynamic name server | noun; acronym is DNS |
| e-book | E-book, E-book, Ebook, eBook, electronic book, ebook | noun |
| E-mail, E-mail, Email, eMail, electronic mail, email | noun | |
| EPUB | E-PUB, e-PUB, e-Pub, EPub, Epub, ePUB, ePub | noun; project logo uses the capitalization “ePub,” but the vendor standard is “EPUB” |
| end user | end-user | noun; avoid; where possible, replace with user |
| (to) enter sth. (into sth.) | verb; only when a value needs to be specified and Enter should be pressed afterward; where possible, replace with specify or provide | |
| Ethernet | ethernet | noun |
| Ethernet card | wired card [sounds as if wires attached to the card are meant] | noun; card that connects to networks via Ethernet |
| Ext3 | EXT3, EXT 3, Ext 3, Ext-3, ext 3, ext-3, ext3 | noun; use this capitalization for all versions of the Ext file system standard; intentionally inconsistent with project standard to emphasize that this is a proper name |
| Ext4 | EXT4, EXT 4, Ext 4, Ext-4, ext 4, ext-4, ext4 | noun |
| file name | file-name, filename | noun |
| file server | file-server, fileserver | noun |
| file system | file-system, filesystem | noun |
| flavor | flavour [British] | noun |
| flash drive | flash disk, flash disc, USB disk, USB drive, USB stick | noun |
| form | noun; a structured window, box or screen that contains numerous fields or spaces to enter data | |
| framebuffer | frame buffer, frame-buffer | noun |
| front-end | front end, frontend | noun |
| FTP | F.T.P., Ftp, ftp | noun |
| GIMP | G.I.M.P., Gimp, gimp | noun; spelling as per project standard; acronym for GNU Image Manipulation Program; if “the” occurs directly before GIMP, capitalize it: “The” |
| GNOME | G.N.O.M.E., GNU Networked Object Model Environment, Gnome | noun; spelling as per project standard; not an acronym |
| GRUB | G.R.U.B., Grub, grub | noun; acronym for GRand Unified Bootloader |
| graphical user interface | Graphical User Interface | noun; acronym for graphical user interface |
| GUI | G.U.I., GUI interface, GUI user interface, Gui | noun; acronym for graphical user interface |
| hard disk | HDD, HD, hard disc [misspelling], hard disk drive, hard drive, hard-disk, hard-drive, harddisk, harddrive, hdd, hd | noun |
| hard link | hard-link, hardlink | only as a noun; as a verb, use create a hardlink link; directory entry that contains an alternative name for an existing file, in contrast to that, symbolic links are themselves files which link to the name of another file |
| home page | home-page, homepage | noun |
| host name | host-name, hostname | noun |
| (to) hotplug sth. (into sth.) | (to) hot plug sth. (into sth.), (to) hot-plug sth. (into sth.), (to) hotadd sth., (to) hotswap sth. | verb; adding a component or device to a system while the system is running; use remove at runtime where the specific action of removing a component or device is concerned |
| hotplugging | hot plugging, hot-plugging, hotadding, hotswapping | noun |
| hotpluggable | hot pluggable, hot-pluggable, hotaddable, hotswappable | adjective |
| HTML page | HTML document, HTML Web page, HTML web page | noun; when referring to a local file; see also Web page |
| HTTP | H.T.T.P., Http, http | noun |
| HTTPS | H.T.T.P.S., Https, https | noun |
| hypervisor | hyper visor, hyper-visor, hypervizor | noun |
| indexes | indices | noun; plural of index |
| infrared | infra red, infra-red | noun or adjective. |
| init script | init-script, initscript, initialization script [incorrect,
when referring to script run by init] | noun; a script run by init; for systemd, use unit
or unit file
|
| initialization | init, initialisation [British] | noun |
| (to) initialize sth. | (to) init sth., (to) initialise sth. [British] | verb |
| installation medium | installation data medium | noun; often in plural, “installation media”; only for physical sources of installation data for products; when physicality of the installation source is unclear or unimportant, use the more versatile term installation source |
| installation source | installation data source | noun; source of installation data for products, can be a physical medium or online repository |
| Internet | internet | noun |
| intranet | Intranet | noun |
| I/O port | I.O. port, I-O port, IO port, Io port | noun |
| IA64 | IA-64, ia64, ipf, Itanium | noun; processor architecture |
| IPsec | IPSEC, Ipsec | noun |
| IPv4 | IP v4, IPV4, Ipv4 | noun; acronym for Internet protocol version four |
| IPv6 | IP v6, IPV6, Ipv6 | noun; acronym for Internet protocol version six |
| journaling | journalling [British] | noun |
| KIWI | Kiwi, kiwi | noun; project spelling; not an acronym; software for creation of operating system images |
| K Desktop Environment | Kool Desktop Environment | noun; spelling according to project standard; acronym is KDE |
| KDE | KDE Desktop Environment, K.D.E., Kde, kde | noun; spelling according to project standard; acronym for K Desktop Environment |
| Kdump | KDUMP, kdump | noun; only for application |
| kdump | KDUMP, Kdump | noun; only for command |
| kernel space | kernel-space, kernelspace, kernelland | noun; memory area reserved for the kernel and device drivers; see also user space |
| key combination | hot key, key accelerator, keyboard accelerator, key combo, keyboard combo, keyboard combination, key shortcut | noun |
| Kprobes | kprobes | noun; only for application |
| kprobes | Kprobes | noun; only for command |
| (to) left-click sth. | (to) click the left mouse, (to) click the left mouse button, (to) left click sth., (to) left-click on sth., (to) left-click onto sth., (to) leftclick sth. | verb |
| left click | noun | |
| LibreOffice | Libre Office, Libreoffice, LibO, LO, libreoffice | noun; spelling according to project standard; do not create acronyms of LibreOffice |
| license | licence [British] | noun |
| (to) license sth. | (to) licence sth. [British] | verb |
| lifecycle | life cycle, life-cycle | noun; a series of development and support stages that a product passes through |
| Linux | LINUX, linux | noun; spelling according to project standard |
| list | list field | noun; GUI element showing a list of menu items the user can choose from |
| live CD | LiveCD, live-CD | noun; CD that allows booting an operating system without installing |
| live DVD | LiveDVD, live-DVD | noun; DVD that allows booting an operating system without installing |
| live image | live disk image, LiveImage, live-image | noun; disk image that can be copied to a medium and then allows booting an operating system without installing |
| local host | local-host, localhost | noun; when describing the concept of hosting locally |
| localhost | local host, local-host | noun; when referring to the default name of a local host |
| log file | log-file, logfile | noun |
| login | log in, log-in | noun |
| logout | log out, log-out | noun |
| (to) log in [see below for appropriate preposition] | (to) log-in, (to) login, (to) log on, (to) log-on, (to) logon, (to) sign in, (to) sign on | verb |
| (to) log in to sth. | (to) log in at sth., (to) log into sth. | verb; for logging in to a device, application, etc. |
| (to) log in on sth. | (to) log in at sth., (to) log in from sth. | verb; for logging in on the console/a host system |
| (to) log in (to sth.) via SSH | (to) log in (to sth.) by SSH, (to) log in (to sth.) over SSH, (to) log in (to sth.) through SSH, (to) log in (to sth.) with SSH, (to) SSH (to sth.), (to) ssh (to sth.), (to) ssh in (to sth.), (to) ssh into sth., | verb |
| (to) log out [see below for appropriate preposition] | (to) log off, (to) log-out, (to) logout, (to) sign off, (to) sign out | verb |
| (to) log out of sth. | (to) log out at sth., (to) log out from sth. | verb |
| loopback device | loop back device, loop-back device | noun |
| lowercase | lower case, lower-case | noun |
| mail server | mail-server, mailserver | noun |
| Maildir | Mail dir, mail dir | noun; specific format for e-mail storage, not a directory for e-mails |
| mainboard | main board, main-board, mother board, mother-board, motherboard | noun |
| man page | manual page, Man page, Man-page, man page, man-page, manpage | two words |
| Mbox | mbox | noun; specific format for e-mail storage |
| menu | drop-down menu | noun; GUI element that is a list whose entries each start an action; see also drop-down list |
| metadata | meta data, meta-data, metadatas [misspelling] | noun |
| (to) middle-click sth. | (to) click the middle mouse, (to) click the middle mouse button, (to) middle click sth., (to) middle-click on sth., (to) middle-click onto sth., (to) middleclick sth. | verb |
| middle click | noun | |
| mount point | mount-point, mountpoint | noun |
| mouse button | mouse-button, mousebutton, mouse key, mouse-key, mousekey | noun |
| (to) multitask | (to) multi task, (to) multi-task | verb |
| multitasking | multi tasking, multi-tasking | noun |
| multiuser | multi user, multi-user | noun |
| multi-version | multi version, multiversion | adjective |
| name server | name-server, nameserver | noun |
| namespace | name space, name-space | noun |
| need to | have to | verb; see also must |
| NFS | N.F.S., NFS file system, Nfs | noun; often: “NFS client,” “NFS server” |
| NIS | N.I.S., NIS information service, Nis | noun; often: “NIS client,” “NIS server” |
| OOo | Oo.o, Ooo, OOoo, OO, oo | noun; only when referring to versions prior to 3.4; spelling according to former project standard; acronym of OpenOffice.org; see also AOO |
| (to) open sth. | (to) open up sth. | verb |
| OpenOffice.org | Open Office Org, OpenOffice, Openoffice.org, openoffice, openoffice.org | noun; only when referring to versions prior to 3.4; spelling according to former project standard; acronym is OOo; see also Apache OpenOffice |
| openSUSE | Open SUSE, Open-SUSE, open SUSE, open-SUSE | noun; never capitalize first letter |
| open source | Open Source, Open-Source, open-source, opensource | only as a noun |
| operating system | operation system, operating-system | noun |
| paravirtualized | para-virtualised, paravirtualised [British], para-virtualized | adjective |
| patch level | patch-level, patchlevel | noun |
| path name | path-name, pathname | noun; avoid, check if path can be used instead |
| (to) plug sth. in | (to) plug-in sth., (to) plugin sth. | verb |
| plug-in | plug in, plugin | noun|adjective |
| pointer | cursor [used for keyboard input], mouse cursor | noun; on-screen item echoing the movement of a pointing device, such as a mouse; mouse pointer is also acceptable; see also cursor |
| pop-up | pop up, popup | noun |
| on port | at port | noun with preposition |
| PostScript | POSTSCRIPT, Postscript, postscript | noun; spelling as per vendor standard |
| POWER | ppc64le, POWER8, Power | noun; processor architecture |
| (to) preconfigure sth. | (to) pre-configure sth. | verb |
| preconfigured | pre-configured | adjective |
| (to) print sth. | (to) print out sth. | verb |
| print queue | printer queue, printing queue | noun |
| print spooler | printer spooler, printing spooler | noun |
| (to) press sth. | (to) depress sth. [negative], (to) hit sth. [colloquial], (to) punch sth. [colloquial], (to) strike sth. [colloquial] | verb; when referring to keyboard keys or device buttons, but not mouse buttons; also see click |
| program | noun; a set of coded instructions that enables a machine, especially a computer, to perform a desired sequence of operations | |
| proxy | only as a noun | |
| PXE | P.X.E., Pixie, pixie, PXE Environment, Pxe, pxe | noun; acronym for “Preboot Execution Environment” |
| PXE boot | PXE Boot | only as a noun; as a verb, use “(to) boot using PXE” or “(to) boot via PXE” instead |
| (to) quit sth. | (to) abort sth., (to) exit sth., (to) kill sth., (to) terminate sth. | noun; quitting an application; always use “close” when referring to windows; always use “terminate” when ending an application forcefully |
| RAM | R.A.M., RAM memory, Ram, ram | noun; acronym for random access memory |
| RAM disk | RAM disc [misspelling], RAM drive, RAM-disk, RAM-drive, RAMdisk, RAM-drive, Ramdisk, Ramdrive | noun; either treating RAM as a hard disk or a type of solid-state storage |
| README | Read-me, Readme, read-me, readme | noun; use this capitalization for all general references |
| read-only | R.O., RO, read only, readonly, ro | adjective |
| real time | real-time | noun; as in “watch in real time” |
| real-time | real time | adjective, compound noun; as in “real-time processing” |
| (to) reconfigure sth. | (to) re-configure sth. | verb |
| (to) re-create sth. | (to) recreate [different meaning] | verb |
| (to) register [see below for appropriate preposition] | (to) sign up, (to) sign-up, (to) signup | verb; register as a user |
| (to) register at sth. | verb; register at a system | |
| (to) register for sth. | verb; register for a service | |
| (to) register to sth. | verb; use when writing about registering to a server: register to the RMT server | |
| (to) register with sth. | verb; use when writing about the tool used for registration: register the domain with libvirt | |
| (to) remove sth. at runtime (from sth.) | (to) hotremove sth. | verb; removing a component or device to a system while it is running; where sensible, use the more generic term hotplug |
| (to) right-click sth. | (to) click the right mouse, (to) click the right mouse button, (to) right click sth., (to) right-click on sth., (to) right-click onto sth., (to) rightclick sth. | verb |
| right click | noun | |
| RPM | R.P.M., Rpm, rpm [different meaning] | noun; acronym for RPM Package Manager |
| runlevel | run level, run-level | noun |
| runtime | run time, run-time | noun |
| Samba | SAMBA, samba | noun; project spelling; open-source implementation of the SMB file and print service protocol |
| (to) save sth. | (to) store sth., (to) write sth. out | verb; when saving or overwriting a file from a GUI program or via a parameter of a command-line program; see also write |
| (to) save sth. as sth. | verb; when saving a file with a specific name | |
| (to) save sth. in sth. | verb; when saving a file either on a specific device or file system | |
| (to) save sth. on sth. | verb; when saving a file either on a specific device or file system | |
| (to) save sth. to sth. | verb; when saving a file to a specific folder | |
| saved in sth. | verb; when retrieving a file from a specific place | |
| SCSI | S.C.S.I., Scsi, scsi | noun |
| screen | noun; the surface on which the image appears in an electronic display (as in a computer terminal); also the information displayed on a computer screen at one time | |
| screenshot | screen shot, screen-shot | noun |
| screen saver | screen-saver, screensaver | noun |
| script | noun; a prewritten list of commands, and perhaps other control information, to be executed (interpreted) by a shell or other command interpreter | |
| scrollbar | scroll-bar, scroll bar, scrollbox, scroller, slidebar | noun; GUI element that is used to change which portion of a screen area is visible |
| (to) select sth. | (to) block sth., (to) choose sth., (to) highlight sth. | verb; when referring to list entries or text; for check boxes, use activate |
| selected | blocked, chosen, highlighted | adjective; selection state of list entries or text; opposite of deselected |
| (to) set sth. up | (to) set-up sth., (to) setup sth. | verb |
| setup | set up, set-up | adjective|noun |
| shell | noun; a command-line interpreter used to describe programs that expose the input/output to the user (bash, sh, zsh) and to refer to the command prompt; see also console, terminal | |
| (to) shut sth. down | (to) shut-down sth., (to) shutdown sth. | verb |
| shutdown | shut down, shut-down | adjective|noun |
| SLE | S.L.E., SLE Enterprise, SLE Linux, Sle, sle | noun; avoid; acronym for SUSE Linux Enterprise |
| SLED | S.L.E.D., SLE Desktop, SLE Enterprise Desktop, SLE Linux Desktop, Sled, sled | noun; avoid; acronym for SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop |
| SLES | S.L.E.S., SLE Server, SLE Enterprise Server, SLE Linux Server, Sles, sles | noun; avoid; acronym for SUSE Linux Enterprise Server |
| SLES for SAP | SLES for SAP Applications, SLE for SAP | noun; acronym for SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications |
| slider | slide bar, slidebar | noun; GUI element that is used manipulate values that have an upper and a lower bound |
| solid-state drive | SD [misleading], solid state disc [misspelling], solid-state disk drive, solid-state disk, solid state drive, solidstate drive, sd | noun; acronym is SSD; a type of mass storage that does not depend on mechanical parts |
| spec file | Spec file, Spec-file, Specfile, spec-file, specfile | noun |
| SSD | S.S.D., SD [misleading], SS-D, sd, ss-d | noun; acronym of solid-state drive; a type of mass storage that does not depend on mechanical parts |
| stand-alone | stand alone, standalone | adjective |
| (to) start sth. up | (to) start-up sth., (to) startup sth. | verb |
| start-up | start up, startup | noun |
| statusbar | status bar, status-bar | noun |
| SSH | S.S.H., SSH Shell, SSH shell, Ssh, ssh | noun |
| SUSE | S.U.S.E., Software- und System-Entwicklung, SuSE, SuSe, Suse, suse | noun; not an acronym |
| SUSE Enterprise Storage | SUSE Storage, SUSE Linux Enterprise Storage | noun; acronym is SES |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise | SUSE Linux Entreprise [British], SUSE Linux enterprise, SUSE linux enterprise | noun; acronym is SLE |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop | SUSE Desktop, SUSE Linux Enterprise desktop | noun; acronym is SLED |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server | SUSE Server, SUSE Linux Enterprise server | noun; acronym is SLES |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications | SUSE Linux Enterprise for SAP, SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP, SUSE Server for SAP | noun; acronym is SLES for SAP Applications |
| SUSE Manager | SUSE Linux Manager | noun |
| SUSE OpenStack Cloud | SUSE Cloud, SUSE Linux Cloud | noun |
| SUSE Studio | SUSE Linux Studio | noun |
| submenu | sub menu, sub-menu | noun; menu that is nested inside another menu |
| subsystem | sub system, sub-system | noun |
| systemd | System D, Systemd, systemD, system d, System 500 | noun; project spelling; initialization system for Linux |
| System V init | SysVinit, SysV init, system 5 init, system d | noun; spoken: “System five init”; initialization system for Unix operating systems |
| system-wide | systemwide, system wide | adjective |
| symbolic link | soft link, softlink, symlink [jargon] | only as a noun; as a verb, use create a symbolic link; a file with a reference to another file or a directory, in contrast to that, a hard link is a directory entry that contains an alternative name for an existing file |
| synchronization | sync, synch, synchronisation [British] | noun; two-way or many-way copying process to ensure data is consistent across two or more locations |
| (to) synchronize sth. (with sth.) | (to) sync sth., (to) synch sth., (to) synchronise sth. [British], (to) synchronize sth. (and sth.) | noun; copy data in two or more ways to ensure it is consistent across two or more locations |
| TAR archive | TAR ball [Unix jargon], tar ball, tar-ball, tarball | noun |
| taskbar | task bar, task-bar | noun |
| technology preview | technical preview, technology-preview | noun; product features that are shipped without support and marked as such |
| text box | entry area, entry box, entry field, input area, input box, input field, text area, text field | noun; GUI element that text can be typed into with one or more lines |
| terminal | noun; text input/output environment where users interact with Linux and Linux applications; the default term to describe a text-only user interface | |
| (to) terminate sth. | (to) abort sth., (to) close sth., (to) exit sth., (to) kill sth., (to) quit sth. | noun; ending an application forcefully; always use close when referring to windows; always use quit when ending an application normally |
| TFTP | T.F.T.P., Tftp, tftp | noun |
| timeout | time-out | noun |
| time stamp | time-stamp, timestamp | noun |
| titlebar | title bar, title-bar | noun |
| tool | noun; a utility or feature used to develop software or hardware, or to perform particular tasks | |
| toolbar | tool bar, tool-bar | noun |
| toolchain | tool chain, tool-chain | noun; set of tools (such as build tools) that is used in succession |
| tooltip | tool tip, tool-tip | noun |
| UEFI | Uefi, u-EFI, uEFI | noun; acronym of Unified Extensible Firmware Interface |
| Unified Extensible Firmware Interface | unified extensible firmware interface | noun; acronym is UEFI; software interface between firmware and operating system; replaces the BIOS interface |
| unit | unit file | noun; concept of systemd; generic term for services, timers, etc.; use when starting, stopping, enabling or disabling a unit |
| unit file | unit | noun; configuration file of a systemd unit; has a suffix
(.service, .timer, etc.); only
use when referring to the actual file (e.g. when editing it) and not the
unit |
| Unix | UNIX [brand name registered by Open Group], unix | noun; use this capitalization for all general references that are not related to brand names |
| (to) uninstall sth. | (to) deinstall sth., (to) un-install sth. | verb |
| unselected | deselected, un-selected | adjective; selection state of list entries or text; opposite of selected |
| uppercase | upper case, upper-case | noun |
| usage | noun; the way in which something is used, or the amount of it that is used; see also utilization | |
| use case | use-case, usecase | noun |
| (to) use sth. | (to) utilise sth. [British], (to) utilize sth. | verb |
| user name | user-name, username | noun |
| user space | user-space, userspace, userland | noun; memory area used by applications; see also kernel space |
| utilization | utilisation [British] | noun; an act or instance of making practical or profitable use of something, especially in CPU utilization, memory utilization |
| video DVD | Video DVD, Video-DVD, DVD video | noun |
| view | noun; a reusable set of user interface widgets that serve as an interface for user interaction | |
| virtualization | Virtualization, virtualisation [British] | noun; referring to software (usually an operating system) running on a virtual computer created by software running on a physical computer or virtual computer created with software running on a physical computer |
| (to) virtualize sth. | virtualise [British] | verb; running software (usually an operating system) on a virtual computer created by software running on a physical computer or creating a virtual computer with software running on a physical computer |
| VLAN | V.L.A.N., Vlan, vlan | noun; acronym for Virtualized Local Area Network |
| Web | WEB, World Wide Web, WWW, web, www | noun; you may use World Wide Web or WWW in historical contexts |
| Web cam | Webcam, Web camera, webcam | noun; camera that can be connected to a computer, mainly for video chats |
| Web page | HTML Web page, Web-page, Webpage | noun; when referring to page on the Internet; see also HTML page |
| Web server | Web-server, Webserver | noun |
| Web site | Web-site, Website, web site, web-site, website | noun |
| Webmaster | Web master, Web-master | noun |
| whitespace | white-space, white space | noun |
| Wi-Fi | Wi fi, Wi-fi, Wifi, wireless fidelity, WLAN | noun; use the Wi-Fi brand name whenever referring to IEEE 802.11-based networks or access points; use WLAN when referring to non-IEEE 802.11-based wireless LANs |
| Wi-Fi card | wireless card [card has wires attached to it] | noun; card that connects to Wi-Fi networks |
| Wi-Fi/Bluetooth card | wireless card [card has wires attached to it] | noun; card that combines a Wi-Fi and a Bluetooth card |
| wild card | joker [Germanism], wild-card, wildcard | noun |
| WLAN | Wlan | noun; avoid; use only when referring to wireless LANs that are not IEEE 802.11-based; use Wi-Fi in all other cases |
| (to) write sth. | (to) pipe sth. [Unix jargon], (to) write sth. out | verb; when saving the command-line output of a program as a
file using > or >>;
see also save
|
| x86 | 32-bit AMD/Intel, i686, i386 | noun; processor architecture; see also AMD64/Intel 64 |
| X Window System | X Window, X Windows, X window, X window system, X windows, XWS | noun |
| Xen | XEN, xen | noun |
| Xend | xend | noun |
| YaST | YAST, YAST2, Yast, YaST2, yast, yast2 | noun; spelling according to project standard; acronym for Yet another Setup Tool |
| IBM Z | z Systems, System z, zSeries, z System, zsystems, S390x | noun; processor architecture; see also AMD64/Intel 64 |
| Zypper | zypper | noun; only for application |
| zypper | Zypper | noun; only for command |
A.2 General vocabulary #
The following table defines the correct spellings and denominations for general vocabulary in SUSE documentation. Always use the entry listed under “Accepted” in the table below. All entries are reproduced in sentence-style capitalization.
Note: Review the word list of the Inclusive Naming Initiative
In addition to the words documented here, make sure to also review the Word lists of the Inclusive Naming Initiative's Evaluation Framework.
For more information about word choices, see Section 6.2, “Biases and inclusiveness”.
| Accepted | Rejected [Reason] | Part of Speech; Usage Guideline/Definition |
|---|---|---|
| after | once | adverb; only use once in the meaning of “one time only” |
| afterward | afterwards [BrE] | adverb |
| although | while | conjunction; only use while in the meaning of “during the time that” |
| and | while | conjunction; only use while in the meaning of “during the time that” |
| backward | backwards [BrE] | adverb |
| basically [filler] | adverb | |
| because of | since, due to, owing to | preposition; only use since in temporal phrases |
| business case | business-case, businesscase | noun |
| but | while | conjunction; only use while in the meaning of “during the time that” |
| cannot | can't [contraction], can not | verb |
| can | may | verb; use can to express an ability, only use may to express permissions sought/given |
| could | may | verb; use could to express a possibility, only use may to express permissions sought/given |
| data is | data are | noun with verb; use all other verbs in the singular |
| easy [filler], easily | adjective, adverb; avoid | |
| etc. | abbreviation; avoid; do not use together with “for example” and “such as”; always precede with a comma | |
| for example | for instance, for instances [misspelling] | adverb |
| forward | forwards [BrE] | adverb |
| if | pronoun; use if an event depends on a condition; also see when and whether | |
| inward | inwards [BrE] | adverb |
| just [filler] | adjective, adverb; avoid | |
| might | may | verb; use might to express a possibility, only use may to express permissions sought/given |
| must | have to | verb; see also need to |
| need to | have to | verb; see also must |
| obvious [insulting], obviously | adjective, adverb | |
| outward | outwards [BrE] | adverb |
| please | adverb; avoid | |
| self-evident [insulting], self-evidently | adjective, adverb | |
| sideward | sidewards [BrE] | adverb |
| simple [filler], simply | adjective, adverb; avoid | |
| (to) simplify sth. | (to) ease sth., (to) facilitate sth. | verb; avoid |
| (to) simplify sth. | (to) ease sth., (to) facilitate sth. | verb; avoid |
| stuff [colloquial], stuffs | noun | |
| toward | towards [BrE] | adverb |
| want sth. | (to) wish sth., (to) wish for sth., would like sth. | verb |
| when | once | adverb; use once only in the meaning “one time only” |
| when | pronoun; use if an event is inevitable; also see if | |
| whether | whether or not | pronoun; use to present two alternatives which are not conditions, otherwise use if; see also if |
| regarding | as regards, in regard to, with regard to, with regards to | preposition |