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Word list — R

Verdict: restricted

Use reach for physical or network reach: a signal’s reach, reaching a server. Don’t use reach for to mean choosing a word or an option, and don’t use a reach for an exaggeration (see rule ai-006).

Verdict: style

Always hyphenate.

Verdict: style · Form: adjective

Hyphenate read-write as a modifier before a noun. Otherwise, spell it out as read and write so the slash never stands in for a word.

  • Replacements: read-write, read and write

Verdict: style · Form: noun

Use README in full caps, as the conventional filename, and in body text rather than code font unless you mean the literal file in a path or command. README and README file are both fine; write README file where the reader might not know the term. For the plural, write README files.

  • Alternatives: readme, Readme, read me

Verdict: avoid

Editing jargon from print production. Use mark up or revise for the intended action.

Verdict: avoid

Use regular expression instead.

  • Replacements: regular expression

Verdict: restricted

Use register for a CPU register and for registering a handler, callback, or account. Don’t use it for the tone or style of writing; use tone (see rule ai-001).

Verdict: avoid

Use repository instead.

  • Replacements: repository

Verdict: avoid

Use REST instead of RESTful or Representational State Transfer.

  • Alternatives: RESTful
  • Replacements: REST

Verdict: avoid

Use a plain alternative, such as broken or slow, instead.

Verdict: acceptable

Use review for the act of deliberately evaluating a resource.

Verdict: acceptable

Use the abbreviation RFC. It is standard and widely recognized.

Verdict: style

Use rightmost.

Verdict: restricted

Use rights for a broad or legal entitlement to do something, such as usage rights or a person’s rights under a regulation. For technical access control, name the specific permissions or access instead, because rights alone is too vague to tell the reader what is actually allowed.

Verdict: restricted

Use robust in its statistical sense, such as a robust estimator. Otherwise state the behavior: what the software tolerates or recovers from (see rule ai-006).

Verdict: restricted

Only use for the process of deploying a release. Use roll out for the verb and rollout for the noun.

Verdict: avoid

Hostile and inappropriate. Instead, point readers to the documentation directly.

Verdict: style

Use runbook.

Verdict: style

Use runtime to refer to an environment that runs software and services. Use run time to refer to a period of time during program execution.

  • Alternatives: run time