Why change the words we use?
Language shapes how we think and how welcome people feel. Many of the words baked into our tools, docs, and code reviews carry history that has nothing to do with engineering, and quite often, the suggested alternatives are simply more accurate.
allowlist describes what the list does.
primary describes what the node is.
person‑hours describes who actually does the work.
Clearer language is better engineering.
The Glossary
Swap on the left for something on the right.
| Outdated term | Better alternative(s) | Why it’s changing |
|---|---|---|
Whitelist / Blacklist |
Allowlist / Denylist, Blocklist |
Removes the association that “white” = good/safe and “black” = bad/dangerous. Plus, allow/deny is actually more technically descriptive. |
Master / Slave |
Primary / Replica, Main / Secondary |
Removes references to human slavery. |
Sanity check |
Quick check, Confidence check, Coherence check |
Avoids ableist language that marginalizes mental illness. |
Dummy value |
Placeholder value, Sample data |
“Placeholder” is far more accurate and avoids ableist connotations. |
Grandfathered in |
Exempted, Legacy status |
The term originates from Jim Crow-era “grandfather clauses” used to restrict voting rights. |
Man-hours |
Person-hours, Engineer-hours |
Promotes gender neutrality in the workplace. |
How to use this in practice
- Update READMEs, configs, and variable names as you touch them. No big-bang refactor needed.
- Add a glossary section to your team’s style guide and link here.
- If a teammate uses an older term, suggest the alternative in code review the same way you’d suggest a clearer variable name. Low drama. High signal.
- Many of these changes are already industry default: GitHub, Python, Linux kernel, IETF, and Cloudflare have all shipped renames.
Suggest a term
Know a term that belongs here, or a better alternative for one already listed? Send a suggestion. This list grows by community input.