Preface

Audience

References

Your comments

Style and usage

A

abbreviations and acronyms

Using abbreviations

Forming possessives of abbreviations

Forming plurals of abbreviations

Avoiding periods in abbreviated forms

abort

active voice

add on

add-on

ad hoc

affect

all-inclusive

allow

all right

alphanumeric

alternate

alternative

a.m.

and/or

ANSI

anti-aliased

antialias

apostrophe

Forming possessives

Forming contractions

Forming certain plurals

appendixes

artificial intelligence (AI)

ASA

ASCII

assembly language

assembly-language

assure

asynchronous (async)

B

backslash

backspace

back up

backup

bad

bandwidth

baud rate

behave, behavior

benchmark

Bezier

bidirectional

bilevel

bisynchronous

bit (b)

bitmap

bits per second (bps)

bold

Boolean

Boolean control group

Boolean item

Boolean menu item

boot

border area

brace

bracket

breakpoint

build in

built-in

bulleted list

byte

bytes per second (bytes/s)

C

C++ keyword

callout

cancel

cancelability

cannot

capitalization

Capitalizing book titles

Capitalizing chapter titles and heads

Capitalizing glossary terms

Capitalization of human interface elements

Capitalization of part dividers

Capitalizing text

Capitalizing index entries

Capitalizing CommonPoint terms

caption

Cartesian

catastrophic error

caution

CD

CD-ROM

centigrade (°C)

centimeter (cm)

CPU

checkbox

check in

check-in

checklist

checkmark

check out

check-out

class

clean up

cleanup

client-server

clockwise (cw)

COBOL

code font

colon

Introducing lists

Introducing quotations, questions, and statements

color/graphics adapter (CGA)

comma

Separating items in a series

Separating dependent and independent clauses

Separate items in addresses, dates, and numbers

CommonPoint

CommonPoint application system

computer-aided design (CAD)

computer-aided engineering (CAE)

computer-aided instruction (CAI)

computer-aided manufacturing (CAM)

computer voice

Using computer voice in heads

Using computer voice in running text

constructive area geometry (CAG)

constructive solid geometry (CSG)

contraction

copyright

cosecant (csc)

cosine (cos)

cotangent (cot)

counterclockwise (ccw)

crossbar

crosshair

cross-reference

cross section

D

dash

data

database

debug

decibel (dB)

decompose

depress

deque

dequeue

derive

derived class

descend

deselect

desire

desktop

device-dependent

dial up

dial-up

diameter (diam)

direct access

direct-access

disc

disk

diskette

divide

Domain Name Service (DNS)

DOS

dots per inch (dpi)

double-check

double click

double-click

download

drag and drop

drag-and-drop

dump file

E

effect

e.g.

ellipsis

email

em dash

Using em dashes with appositives

Using em dashes with parenthetical material

en dash

Using en dashes with numbers and dates

Using en dashes with complex compound adjectives

Using en dashes with lists

end-of-file (EOF)

endpoint

end

end user

end-user

enhanced graphics adapter (EGA)

enquire

enquiry

ensure

entry level

entry-level

enum

enumeration

et al.

etc.

Ethernet

F

Fahrenheit (°F)

false

fatbit

feedback

figure

filename

file server

file-server

file sharing

file-sharing

file system

first in, first out (FIFO)

first in, last out (FILO)

fixed length

fixed-length

fixed point

fixed-point

floating point

floating-point

floating-point unit (FPU)

floppy

flowchart

follow up

follow-up

foot (ft)

FORTRAN

forwarder

framework

free-form

frequency (freq)

friend

function

function name

G

G

garbage

gender

general-purpose

giga (G)

gigabit (Gb)

gigabyte (GB)

gigahertz (GHz)

gray

grayscale

H

hard code

hard-coded

hard copy

hard-copy

hardwired

head

hertz (Hz)

hexadecimal

high end

high-end

high level

high-level

highlight

high performance

high-performance

high resolution

high-resolution

high speed

high-speed

hotline

hour (h)

hue, saturation, and light (HSL)

hue, saturation, and value (HSV)

human interface

humor

hyperbolic cosecant (csch)

hyperbolic cosine (cosh)

hyperbolic cotangent (coth)

hyperbolic secant (sech)

hyperbolic sine (sinh)

hyperbolic tangent (tanh)

hyphen

Joining compound modifiers

Using hyphens with prefixes

I, J

identification (ID)

i.e.

IEEE

illegal

imperative

inch (in.)

inherit

ISV

indexes

infinite

inline

input

input/output (I/O)

inquire

inquiry

instance

insure

interface

International Standards Organization (ISO)

Internet

internet

interprocess communications (IPC)

irrecoverable error

italic

K

K

key

keyboard

keymap

keyname

keypad

keystroke

key-value pair

keyword

kill

kilo (k)

kilobit (Kb)

kilobyte (KB)

kilohertz (kHz)

kilometer (km)

L

label area

label view

LAN

laser disc

last in, first out (LIFO)

last in, last out (LILO)

left justify

left-justified

line slider

list

Introducing lists

Presenting items in a list

Using bulleted lists

Using numbered lists

log in

login

log out

logout

look up

look-up

low end

low-end

lowercase

low level

low-level

low resolution

low-resolution

M

M

mailbox

mass storage

mass-storage

matrices

maximum (max)

may

mega (M)

megabit (Mb)

megabyte (MB)

megahertz (MHz)

member

member function

member function name

metadata

meta-information

metaphor

meter (m)

method

micro

microprocessor

microsecond

midrange

miles per hour (mph)

milli (m)

milligram (mg)

millimeter (mm)

million floating-point instructions per second (MFLOPS)

million instructions per second (MIPS)

millisecond (ms)

minimum (min)

minute (min)

momentary control

momentary item

monochrome

month (mo)

mouse down

mouse-down

mouse up

mouse-up

multilevel

multimedia

multitasking

multithread safe

multithreading

multiuser

N

name space

namespace

naming identifier

NaN

nano (n)

nanosecond (ns)

negative (neg)

network (net)

Nil

non

nonproprietary

nontechnical

nonzero

note

Null

number

Using numerals or words

Punctuating numbers

Forming plurals

numbered list

O

object

object-oriented (OO)

offline

offload

offsite

OK

online

onsite

onscreen

Open Systems Interconnection (OSI)

operating system (OS)

operator

optical character recognition (OCR)

OEM

out of line

out-of-line

output

P

PA-RISC

page description language (PDL)

parentheses

Enclosing explanatory material

Using parentheses with function names

Using parentheses with other punctuation

passive voice

pathname

pen width

period

Using periods

Placing periods

personal computer (PC)

pico (p)

picosecond (ps)

pixel

plural

p.m.

pop up

pop-up

positive (pos)

pound (lb)

possessive

PowerPC

preposition

present tense

press

printout

private

procedure

pronoun

Avoiding unclear antecedents

Avoiding sexist language

Avoiding we

protected

public

pull down

pull-down

punctuation

push button

Q

quotation mark

When to use quotation marks

Using quotation marks with other punctuation

R

radian (rad)

radio button

radio control group

random-access

raster file

raster-file

raster image

raster-image

re

read-only

read/write

real time

real-time

reboot

redundancy

remote procedure call (RPC)

require

retry

right justify

right-justified

routine

run time

Runtime

runtime

S

scroll bar

scrolling list

scrolling pop-up menu

scrolling view

scrolling window

secant (sec)

second (s)

semicolon

Joining independent clauses

Separating items in a series

Using semicolons with other marks of punctuation

separate

services

set up

setup

sexist language

shut down

shutdown

since

sine (sin)

single-tasking

single threaded

single-threaded

single threading

slash

slider

SNiFF+

source code

source-code

square (sq)

square foot (sq ft)

square inch (sq in)

square meter

square mile (sq mi)

square yard (sq yd)

standalone

standard (std)

start

start up

startup

step

struct

structure

style run

subclass

submenu

subset

subsystem

subtree

support

synchronous (sync)

system

Systems Network Architecture (SNA)

T

table

Taligent

Taligent Application Environment (Tal Æ)

tangent (tan)

task-centered

taxonomy

tear-off

temperature (temp)

tera (T)

terahertz (THz)

terminate

testcase

text control

text-only

that

threadsafe

3-D

time frame

time-out

timesharing

time stamp

time zone

title bar

toggle button

toolkit

topdown

trademark

trade-off

troubleshoot

troubleshooting

true

2-D

type

typedef

type definition

U

underlining

United States (U.S.)

unit in the last place (ULP)

units of measure

UNIX

unselect

uppercase

user

user interface (UI)

user name

V

versus (vs.)

via

video disc

virtual

viz

voice

W

want

we

which

wildcard

wish

word-processing

words to avoid

workaround

workgroup

workspace

workstation

writable

writing style

X86

x-axis

x-coordinate

Y, Z

yard (yd)

y-axis

y-coordinate

z-axis

z-coordinate

Appendix: units of measure