Pelle WessmanJun 21, 2023

Reminder that the only safe dummy domains to use are:

- example.com
- example.net
- example.org

And nowadays there's also a safe dummy TLD: .example

These are safe because they are reserved by IANA as as special-use domain names for documentation purposes on direction of IETF in RFC 2606 and RFC 6761.

Any other domain can be registered and as such should _never_ be used as a dummy domain for documentation or as eg. an example in default configs.

See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Example.com

example.com - Wikipedia

Show threadSteve Dinn 🇨🇦Jun 21, 2023

@voxpelli I tried to use "dummy" in some code for work, and I was told that it was an insensitive term. I changed it to "placeholder".

https://media.tenor.com/ERa47gPVan8AAAAC/the-more-you-know.gif

Show threadPelle WessmanJun 21, 2023

@steve If used to describe a person, sure, but else not I think: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dummy

Also:

- ”placeholder": a person or thing that occupies the position or place of another person or thing
- ”dummy”: an imitation, copy, or likeness of something used as a substitute

I would say that ”dummy" would often be better replaced with ”fake" if one were to replace it:

- ”fake”: not true, real, or genuine

Eg: "crash dummy" vs ”crash placeholder” vs ”crash fake”

Definition of DUMMY

Definition of 'dummy' by Merriam-Webster

Show threadSteve Dinn 🇨🇦Jun 21, 2023
@voxpelli I agree with you. I'm just recounting an experience I had with my place of business. In the case I was using it, placeholder worked just as well.
Show threadPelle Wessman
@steve Yeah, I have had similar experiences when I eg. tried to use a blacklist / whitelist, especially struggling as a non-native speaker
Jun 21, 2023 at 8:17pmIvory for Mac
Show threadSteve Dinn 🇨🇦Jun 21, 2023
@voxpelli At my company, we are instructed not to use the word "execute" as in "execute a program" because executing an instruction is THE SAME as executing a person. Tangentially, we also can't use "encryption" but instead we have to say "security".
Show threadPelle WessmanJun 21, 2023

@steve Yikes, I guess its similar to eg. https://alexjs.com/

I like the spirit of promoting considerate writing, but I don't like it when its spreading fear, uncertainty and doubt in a way that risks silencing more than it helps.

alex: Catch insensitive, inconsiderate writing

Whether your own or someone else’s writing, alex helps you find gender favouring, polarising, race related, religion inconsiderate, or other unequal phrasing.

alex