Use as either singular or plural in meaning but always with a singular verb. That is, always use “the data is” (or another appropriate verb) whether you mean a collection of facts (plural) or information (singular). If you want to emphasize that something is plural, rewrite to use a term such as facts or numbers.
Do not use datum or data are. They are etymologically correct, but some users may not recognize datum, or they may see both datum and data are as pretentious.
Microsoft style
The data shows that 95% of the users prefer a graphical interface.
The data gathered so far is incomplete.
These facts contradict the earlier data.
Two words. A modem that can both send and receive serial data. A data/fax modem can also send and receive faxes.
Use this phrase in its entirety (“deaf or hard of hearing”) in accessibility information or to refer to people who are deaf. Hyphenate hard-of-hearing only if it precedes the noun it modifies. If space is limited, use deaf by itself. See also Chapter 4
Microsoft style
The ShowSounds feature is primarily intended for deaf or hard-of-hearing customers.
People who are deaf or hard of hearing can configure Windows to use visual cues in place of sounds.
Do not use hearing-impaired.
Debug is a valid technical term in content for software developers. Do not use debug in any context as a synonym for troubleshoot. Use troubleshoot or a more accurate word or phrase instead.
Use as a verb only in content for a technical audience to refer specifically to decreasing an integer count by one. Do not use as a synonym for decrease.
In content for a technical audience, it is also all right to use decrement as an adjective (“the decrement operator”) and as a noun (“If the result of the decrement is 0, then Decrement returns 0.”
Do not use default as a verb unless you have no other choice. It is jargon. Default is all right to use as a noun or as an adjective.
Microsoft style
If you do not select a template, Word uses Normal.dot by default.
This value specifies the number of sheets to add. The default is one sheet.
Not Microsoft style
If you do not select a template, Word defaults to Normal.dot.
This value specifies the number of sheets to add. If you omit a value, the program defaults to one sheet.
Use to describe a broadly released and frequent software update that contains additions to a product’s definition database. See also out-of-band release terminology (Chapter 6).
As a verb, use to refer to the action of the Disk Defragmenter program or similar programs. Do not use defrag.
Microsoft style
To defragment your files and speed up performance, use Disk Defragmenter frequently.
Do not use unless deinstall appears in the user interface or the application programming interface. If deinstall does appear in the product interface, refer to the user action as removing. See also uninstall.
As a verb, use delete to refer to actions that the Delete command takes, such as moving files to the Recycle Bin and moving items in Microsoft Outlook to the Deleted Items folder. You can use delete to describe these actions even if the user arrives at them by some other way, such as by dragging a file to the Recycle Bin.
Use delete to refer to actions that result from pressing the Delete or Backspace key on the computer, such as deleting selected text.
Do not use delete as a synonym for remove. Do not use cut or erase as a synonym for delete. See also cut, erase, remove.
Microsoft style
Delete the second paragraph.
Delete MyFile.txt from the Windows folder.
Remove the Size column from the Inbox.
Do not use as a technical term except on first mention, in which case use perimeter network (also known as DMZ, demilitarized zone, and screened subnet). On subsequent mention, use perimeter network. See also perimeter network.
Refers to a program or feature that is obsolete and in the process of being phased out, usually in favor of a specific replacement. Deprecated features can linger on for many years to support compatibility across product versions.
It is all right to use deprecated in content for a technical audience. In content for a general audience, use obsolete, obsolescent, or another appropriate word.
Do not use. Use press for the action of pushing down a key instead. Also do not use depressed as a description for an indented toolbar button unless you have no other choice. See also Key names (Chapter 5).
Name for a window with a design surface (whether it has one or more views). See also editor.
Microsoft style
HTML Designer has two views: Design and HTML.
Web Forms Designer has two views: Design and HTML.
XML Designer has two views: Schema and Source.
Refers to the work area on the screen that is provided by the operating system. It has the appearance of a physical desktop.
Refer to the desktop as client area only in content for a technical audience and only if necessary.
Desktop is also a valid term for a computer. However, use desktop in this sense only if you need to differentiate the computer from a laptop or server computer. See also laptop, workspace.
General term for an end point in some user or program actions, such as the location reached when a user clicks a hyperlink, the folder to which a file is copied or moved, or the document in which a linked or embedded object is stored. Do not use target as a synonym.
Destination is all right to use in content for any audience. However, use a more precise term such as website or folder if you can, and use destination as a modifier only if necessary for clarity.
Use instead of target disk, target drive, or target file. However, do not use any of these terms if you can use more specific language, such as “drag the folder to the icon for drive D.”
Refers to any machine or component that can be attached, physically or wirelessly, to a network or computer. Examples of devices include cameras, disk drives, printers, mice, joysticks, MP3 players, and phones.
In general, use the most generic term that describes a particular device, such as phone or mouse. Use device when you need to refer generically to a variety or group of devices.
Use device driver only in the context of a driver development kit (DDK) or in a general discussion about installing peripheral devices. If you are referring to a driver for a specific device, refer to the driver for that device, such as mouse driver or printer driver.
In content for a general audience, define driver on first mention, and if your content has a glossary, add driver to the glossary.
Do not use as an abbreviation for dialog box. Do not spell as dialogue in the context of a dialog box. Dialog is all right to use in other contexts, especially in content for a technical audience.
Always call this type of box a dialog box, not just dialog. Do not call it a pop-up window.
In content for all audiences except software developers, do not shorten dialog box to dialog even as a modifier.
Do not hyphenate dialog box if you use it as a modifier.
In content for software developers, it is all right, but not required, to use dialog by itself as a modifier. See also Webpage controls, dialog boxes, and property sheets (Chapter 5).
Microsoft style (all audiences)
dialog box option
dialog box title
Microsoft style (software developer content)
dialog class
dialog editor
dialog object
Use only as an adjective, not as a noun or as a verb. Always hyphenate.
As an adjective, it defines a line, a modem, or a networking connection. It refers to a service. Do not use as a noun (“a dial up”). It is ambiguous.
Use dial as the verb to refer to placing a call or using a dial-up device.
Do not use different to mean many or various.
In comparisons, use different from in most cases. Use different than only when than is followed by a clause. Do not use different to.
Microsoft style
The result of the first calculation is different from the result of the second.
If the result is different from the result that you expected, verify that you entered your data correctly.
Not Microsoft style
The result of the first calculation is different than the result of the second.
Pay particular attention to parallelism in comparative statements that use different. It is very easy to make a comparison that you did not intend.
Microsoft style
The result of the first calculation is different from that of the second.
Not Microsoft style
The result of the first calculation is different from the second.
Constructions that use different than are often difficult to read, even if they are grammatically correct. They work best when the clauses on both sides of the comparison are balanced and parallel. If you cannot achieve such balance and parallelism, consider rewriting the sentence.
Microsoft style
The regional setting does not match the language of the localized version of the operating system.
Not Microsoft style
The regional setting is different than the language of the localized version of the operating system.
Use unavailable to refer to commands and options that are in an unusable state, but use dimmed instead of grayed to describe the appearance of an unavailable command or option. Use shaded to describe the appearance of check boxes that represent a mixture of settings. Also, use appears dimmed, not is dimmed. See also gray, grayed; shaded.
Microsoft style
If the option appears dimmed, it is unavailable.
Not Microsoft style
If the option is grayed, it is unavailable.
Do not use. Use arrow keys instead. See also Key names (Chapter 5).
In general, limit use of the word directory to references to the structure of the file system. Use folder to refer to the visual representation or object in the interface. You can include directory as a synonym for folder in indexes and search topics. See also folder.
All right to use in content for software developers in the sense of making a command or function unavailable.
Do not use in other content. Use make unavailable or something similar. See also dimmed.
Do not refer to people with disabilities as disabled. See Chapter 4.
Be sure to use these words correctly. Discreet means “showing good judgment” or “modest.” Discrete means “separate” or “distinct” and is more likely to appear in technical content.
Do not use except in content for a technical audience, and only if the term appears in the user interface or application programming interface. If you must use a term for selected items that do not touch each other, use multiple selection, or refer to the specific nonadjacent items instead. See also multiple selection, nonadjacent selection.
In general, use disk to refer to both hard disks and floppy disks.
Unless necessary, use just disk, not hard disk, floppy disk, or 3.5-inch disk. Do not use fractions or symbols when specifying a disk. Use decimals instead, and spell out inch.
Microsoft style
3.5-inch disk
Do not use diskette, fixed disk, hard drive, or internal drive. Do not use hard disk system or floppy disk system. Refer to the computer specifications instead.
In general, do not use disk in possessive constructions such as disk’s contents or disk’s name. Use disk contents or disk name instead.
When naming specific disks, use the disk names as they appear on the labels.
Microsoft style
The utilities disk
Disk 1
Use instead of storage or memory to refer to available capacity on a disk. See also storage, storage device.
Use as a noun to refer generically to the visual output device and its technology, such as a flat-panel display. Use screen to refer to the graphic portion of a monitor.
Do not use display as an intransitive verb. See also appears, displays.
Microsoft style
The program displays the document.
You can filter the data that is displayed in a control.
Not Microsoft style
The document displays.
Spell out as Domain Name System, not Domain Name Server. Use to refer to the DNS networking protocol or to the Windows feature that implements the protocol. When discussing the DNS networking protocol, spell out Domain Name System on first mention. When discussing the Windows DNS feature, do not spell out DNS.
The Windows feature is DNS, not DNS Server or Microsoft DNS Server. If you must emphasize that you are referring to the Windows feature and not to the networking protocol, mention Windows, as in “DNS in Windows Server 2003” or “Windows Server 2008 DNS.”
Do not use dynamic DNS or DDNS.
A DNS server (lowercase s) is a computer that is running DNS server software.
A DNS client (lowercase c) is a client of a DNS server.
DNS Server (capital s) is the Windows service that appears in the Computer Management console. In general, refer to the service only in a discussion about stopping and starting it.
DNS Client (capital c) is the Windows service that appears in the Computer Management console. In general, refer to the service only in a discussion about stopping and starting it.
You can use document generically to refer to any kind of item within a folder that can be edited, but it’s clearer to restrict its use to Word, WordPad, and text documents. Use the specific term for “documents” in other programs. For example, say “an Excel worksheet,” “a PowerPoint presentation,” and “an Access database.”
Use file for more general uses, such as file management or file structure.
Microsoft style
These demos will help you learn how to manage files and folders, print your documents, and use a network.
Because domain has different meanings in database design, Windows, and Internet addresses, define the use or ensure that the context is clear. Always consult your project style sheet.
In database design, a domain is the set of valid values for a particular attribute.
In Windows, a domain is a collection of computers sharing a common database and security policy.
On the Internet, the top-level domain (TLD) is the last part of the address, following the dot. It identifies the type of entity owning the address, such as .com for commercial entities, or the country where the web address is located, such as .ca for Canada. The domain includes the top-level domain and the part of the address before the dot. For example, microsoft.com is the domain of the address www.microsoft.com.
Do not use as a verb or noun. Always hyphenate as an adjective to reference web-based business issues. Do not capitalize the letter following the hyphen in contexts that require title capitalization.
Microsoft style
dot-com company
dot-com world
dot-com executive
dot-com stocks
dot-com sector
dot-com business
Do not use dotcom, dot com, dot.com, .com, or any other variation.
Use this term only if you are graphically describing the element that a user drags to select a region on the screen. Otherwise, use bounding outline (not marquee) instead. See also bounding outline.
Two words as a noun. Hyphenate as an adjective. Do not use as a verb. Use a phrase such as uses double buffering instead.
Refers to the use of two temporary storage areas.
Two words. Refers to a unit of data consisting of two contiguous words (bytes). DWORD is used in code.
Always hyphenate. Use instead of select and choose when referring to a mouse action. Do not use double-click on. See also click.
Use this word only if absolutely necessary to express the concepts of downgrade rights, downgrading licenses, downgrading products, downgrading files, and others. Use only with an audience that would understand your use of the word in these contexts.
Do not use. If possible, use a more precise definition of what you mean to say. Otherwise, use earlier versions or a similar phrase. If you are referring to versions of third-party software as well, rewrite to make this clear.
As a transitive verb, use download to describe the process of intentionally transferring data, a file, or a program to the local computer, system, or device. Do not use download as an intransitive verb. If necessary for the context, use the passive is downloaded. Do not use downloaded to describe the process of opening, viewing, or switching to a webpage, even though some graphics or HTML files may be transferred to the user’s hard disk as a result.
As a noun, download is all right to use to refer to data, a file, or a program that is available for downloading or that has been downloaded.
Because download can be used as a noun or as a verb, be careful that the context and sentence structure make your meaning unambiguous.
Microsoft style
Design your webpage so that a user can review part of the page while your computer downloads the rest.
Not Microsoft style
Design your webpage so that a user can review part of the page while the rest downloads.
Traditionally, drag has been used to refer to an action performed with a mouse to select or move text or other content. Although the use of drag remains the same in this context, the term is also now used to describe contact gestures. See also Mouse terminology (Chapter 5).
Microsoft style
Drag the item to where you want it.
Not Microsoft style
Move your finger on the screen to drag the item to where you want it.
Do not use click and drag or drag and drop. With a traditional mouse, the click action includes releasing the mouse button, and to drag an item, the user must hold the button down. Press and drag is all right to use for novice computer users.
Use only as an adjective, not as a noun or as a verb. The action of dragging includes dropping the element in place.
It is all right to use drag-and-drop as an adjective to describe moving objects between windows and programs or to describe behavior a programmer wants to put in a program. In these cases, use a phrase such as “drag-and-drop editing” or “drag-and-drop feature.”
Microsoft style
Moving files is an easy drag-and-drop operation.
You can drag the folder to drive D.
You can move the folder to drive D using a drag-and-drop operation.
Not Microsoft style
You can drag and drop the folder in drive D.
You can use drag-and-drop to move the folder to drive D.
Drag the information from Microsoft Excel and drop it in a Word document.
Distinguish among types of disks and disk drives only when necessary to avoid confusion. Make it clear whether you are talking about a disk or its associated drive.
Use these conventions when referring to drives:
Use drive as the general term to refer to any type of device—internal or external, physical or virtual—that reads or writes to storage media, such as a hard drive, CD drive, DVD drive, floppy disk drive, USB flash drive, or any other removable storage device.
Use hard drive to refer to a storage device—internal or external, movable or solid state—for a PC on which files and programs are typically stored. Use this term when you don’t need to distinguish from other hard drive types.
Use hard disk drive only when you need to mention the physical location or physical state of the hard drive, or when you need to distinguish from other hard drive types, such as solid-state drives. Use hard disk to refer to the disk itself.
Use network drive to refer to a logical network drive name, such as network drive X.
Use solid-state drive (SSD) to refer to a storage device that uses integrated circuits, or microchips, instead of a hard disk. Use only to distinguish from other hard drive types.
Because Macintosh drives do not have names, it is all right in introductory content about Macintosh computers to describe a drive to be consistent with Macintosh documentation.
Microsoft style
If you have two disk drives, use the one on the right.
Do not tell users to “close the drive” unless you are writing a section introducing computers.
Use only if necessary to describe how an item such as a menu works or what it looks like.
Drop-down as an adjective is all right to use in content for software developers if necessary to describe the type of item. For example, drop-down can be used to describe a drop-down arrow, a drop-down combo box, or a drop-down list box.
Do not use drop down as a noun to mean a menu or a list. Do not use drop down as a verb to describe clicking a menu or downloading a file from the Internet. See also Webpage controls, dialog boxes, property sheets (Chapter 5).
Do not spell out DVD. If you refer to a DVD as a disc, use the correct spelling.
It is all right to use DVD by itself as long as either the reference is general or there is no possibility of confusion as to what type of DVD is under discussion: video DVD, audio DVD, DVD-ROM, DVD-R, DVD-RAM, or DVD-RW. Otherwise, be specific.
Refer to the drive for a DVD as the DVD drive, not the DVD player. If you are referring to a specific type of drive, such as a DVD-RW drive, use the appropriate name.
Do not use DVD disc, DVD-ROM disc, or similar constructions.
Spell out on first mention unless you are positive that your audience knows the term. On subsequent mention, use the abbreviation DLL. Use lowercase (.dll) when referring to the file name extension.
Do not use dynalink.
Do not use. Use elastic service capacity instead. See also Cloud computing style (Chapter 6), elastic service capacity.