Acronyms and expressions used on Drupal.org

Last modified: February 2, 2010 - 04:20

Common English expressions and acronyms used by members of Drupal.org in posts, issues and comments. This page gives basic help and reference to Drupal.org visitors, newbies, beginners and NNEs. It is a list of terms and their definitions that can help you understand contents on Drupal.org better. We aim for your contribution. Feel free to propose missing terms in this list, that you may find while reading contents on Drupal.org. If you do not find them here you can take a look at:

Terminology: vocabulary used by Drupal and the Drupal community.
Drupal Jargon: Glossary for beginners.
Using English a collection of (ESL) tools & resources for study English language.
Acronym Finder : dictionary of acronyms, abbreviations, and initial isms.
Jargon file from www.catb.org "Hackers slang"
Slang Site: dictionary of slang, web-speak, made up words, and colloquialisms.

Alphabet:

|A |B |C |D |E |F |G |H |I |J |K |L |M |N |O |P |Q |R |S |T |U |V |W |X |Y |Z

A

accessibility: An approach to design that aims to ensure the widest access to a website. While this often refers to accessibility for people with blindness, it is includes people with limited bandwidth, older computers or browsers, and people with a range of disabilities including poor eyesight, blindness, deafness, motor impairments, seizure disorders and cognitive impairments. It also includes people using a wide range of user agents such as graphical browser, text-only browsers, screen readers and hand held devices.
acronym(s): An abbreviation composed of the initial letters or syllables of a compound term and which is pronounced as a single word.(i.e. D.O.)
AFAICT: reads: as far as I can tell
AFAIK: stands for "as far as I know"
AKA: Acronym for "also known as".
amended: Referring to a version that has been modified from a previous form
API: application programming interface. A set of routines that an application program uses to request and carry out lower-level services performed by a computer's operating system.
ASAP: stands for "as soon as possible". Also "ASAP".
ATM: read at the moment. (i.e. "I'm a little distracted atm")
authoring: A term for the process of writing a document. "Authoring" seems to have come into use in order to emphasize that document production ...

B

bare bones

the essential elements of something, described without going into detail; A basic thing, devoid of even rudimentary ornamentation.

BLOB

a blob is a collection of binary data stored as a single entity in a database management system.

blog

Shorthand for web log, a regularly updated, journal-style web page that is generally presented in reverse chronological order and allows readers to post comments and discuss topics or posts. Also used as a verb; to weblog, meaning to write in a weblog. See also vblog, splog.

BoD

board of directors. Those individuals selected to sit on an authoritative standing committee or governing body, taking responsibility for the management of an organization. ( Drupal Association - Board of Directors).

BoF

Birds of a feather. In the world of computing, BoF (Birds Of a Feather) can refer to: An informal discussion group. Unlike Special Interest Groups or Working groups, BoFs are informal and often formed in an ad-hoc manner. (i.e. Groups.Drupal.org)

bogus

fraudulent; having a misleading appearance, the term is used in relation to the content of a comment or page feedback etc.

brainstorm

insight: the clear (and often sudden) understanding of a complex situation, try to solve a problem by thinking intensely about it.

breadcrumb(s)

is a term borrowed from "Hansel and Gretel", who left crumbs of bread along their path so they could find their way back out of the forest. In current computer parlance, it refers to the section, usually near the top of the page, that shows the path you followed to locate the current page. For example, it might show Home > Macadamia Nuts > Current Events > News Articles, meaning that you started at the home page, clicked on "Macadamia Nuts" in the menu, then selected "Current Events" in the sub-menu, and finally selected, "News Articles."

browser(s)

is the "program" that you use to display content from the Internet. In reality, it is usually a set of programs, not a single one; it is also a set of tables (e.g. settings) that are used to control its display. Examples are Internet Explorer(i.e. IE), Netscape, Firefox (i.e. FF) and Safari . This operates on the client, or user, side of the presentation.

BTW

abbreviation for: by the way.
Incidentally; not central or crucial to the topic at hand.

bubble up

move upwards in bubbles, as from the effect of heating; also used metaphorically; "Gases bubbled up from the earth"; "Marx's ideas have bubbled up ...

C

callback: Callbacks simply register a path so that the correct function is fired when the URL is accessed. They are not shown in the menu. Note 1: Description taken from API.Drupal.org Note 2: for better and deeper understanding "callback" & "hook" see : Drupal's page serving mechanism
CGI: Common Gateway Interface. A specification for communication between an HTTP server and gateway programs on the server.
client: An application or system that accesses a (remote) service on another computer system known as a server by way of a network. The term was first applied to devices that were not capable of running their own stand-alone programs, but could interact with remote computers via a network.
CMS: Content management system. In the context of a Web site a CMS is a collection of tools designed to allow the creation, modification organization and removal of information.
cookbook: The term cookbook is sometimes used metaphorically to refer to any book containing a straightforward set of already tried and tested "recipes" or instructions for a specific field or activity other than cooking, that others can use unchanged. e.g. The Drupal Cookbook (for beginners)
CVS: Concurrent versioning system. A system that tracks all changes made to Drupal and its modules, allowing multiple developers to work on a single project, regardless of the geographic distribution of those developers. Projects in the CVS repository are not considered stable, and caution should be used when installing them on a live site.

D

DA

abbreviation/acronym for Drupal Association, also (D.A.).

database

A computer database is a structured collection of records or data that is stored in a computer system. A database relies upon software to organize the storage of data. In other words, the software models the database structure in what are known as database models (or data models).

definition

A concise explanation of the meaning of a word or phrase or symbol.

deprecated

In computer software standards and documentation, the term deprecated is applied to software features that are superseded and should be avoided. That means also: this standard (Documentation or Code) has been replaced by one or more other standards.

Dev Team, Development Team

Code Maintainers

dismal,(is)

Disappointingly inadequate; gloomy and bleak; depressing; blue. (i.e. "Currently, the status of drupal_add_js is dismal.")

DIY

DoIt Yourself

documentation sprint

During documentation sprints people meet in person at a specific time to communicate and work on documentation tasks. Read more about software development Sprints on wikipedia.

D.O., DO, d.org

Drupal.org. The website of Drupal (where you are right now). You may find this abbreviation also in small letters. i.e. (d.o.)

Doc Team, Documentation Team

Handbook maintainers and book contributors are one of Drupal's most valuable assets, and are one of the sole forces behind improvements to the platform and the community itself. Without this kind people, we might don't have this documentation. Note: Join the Doc Team

ditto

Same as above or before. Synonymous to ditto mark, a mark used to indicate the word above it should be repeated. Occasionally used in discussions (including forums and IRC) to indicate "me too".

 Us3er37: I'm getting errors when I log in and immediately visit 'Home'
C0pyC@t: ditto. Any idea why? 

Drupal

From the Dutch word "Dorpje", which in English means "little village". For more info about how Drupal did start see Drupal History. Drupal.org was first registered on: 26-Apr-2001

Drupal Object Reference

see Drupal Object Reference Page . Note:page is tagged as related to Drupal 4.6.x, will be updated sooner or later.

Drupal Project

A content management system: The forms you fill out, the buttons you click, and the content you work with. The stuff you interact with every day while you manage your site.
A content management framework: The low-level APIs that let you extend and modify Drupal to make it do everything from ratings to image galleries to your dishes.
A community: The thousands of documentation writers, developers, testers, support providers, designers, and evangelists from all over the world, working together to make Drupal a better platform every single day.

More info about "Drupal Project usage overview": A summary page of the usage information for the projects on this site.

_{Note: this definition is being extracted from an Article on Lullabot.com authoring by Angie Byron}

Druplicon

Word formed from Drupal and Icon, the Drupal logo. read the History of the Druplicon.

dunno

Stands for I don't know

E

e.g.: exempli gratia; for example. A good rule of thumb when choosing e.g. versus i.e. is to think of e.g. as "example given" and i.e. as "in essence"
embed: is a command or process by which an item from one program is placed into an item in another program. It sometimes refers to a font being embedded into an art file. Most often used to describe Flash or Video 'objects' embedded in a web page.
etc.: and so forth: continuing in the same way. Note: from Latin "Et cetera"
ESL: English as a Second Language. ESL is a program model that delivers specialized instruction to students who are learning English as a new language.

F

FAPI: An application programming interface that enables programmers to make programs that run on both OS/2 and DOS operating systems.
FAQ: stand for "Frequently Asked Questions". Note: the most relevant FAQs about the Drupal Project can be found at Drupal Project FAQs
flag: 1. In computer programming, flag refers to one or more bits that are used to store a binary value or code that has an assigned meaning. 2. To mark an information item for selection for further processing. 3. A character that signals the occurrence of some condition, such as the end of a word. Note: on Drupal.org we use mostly (def. 2) for flagging Issues.
flaming: In chatting jargon flaming is the sending of messages that include bad language or repeat messaging especially of undesirable or obscene text. Flaming (also known as ‘flame wars’) occurs in unmoderated chat rooms.Note: this is also applied in posts in Forums Topics.
foobar: The term foobar is a common placeholder name, also referred to as metasyntactic variable, used in computer programming or computer-related.
fork: 1. In software engineering, a project fork happens when developers take a copy of source code from one software package and start independent development on it, creating a distinct piece of software. ((fork-like) i.e. bifurcate: resembling a fork; divided or separated into two branches; "the biramous appendages of an arthropod"; "long branched hairs on its ...)
FWIW: it reads: for what it's worth
FYI: (pronounced EFF-WAI-AI) is an abbreviation for "For your information," and is often used in forwarding e-mail or printed material to. In practice it indicates additional details that the recipient may not have requested or find relevant, but could be interesting or archived for reference. This prefix often implies that a response is not expected.

G

GA: General assembly. means the assembly that is the governing body of an organization and the purposes, functions and composition of which are provided for. Also (G.A.). Here is the link to the Drupal General Assembly body.
G.D.O., GDO: Groups.Drupal.org serves the Drupal community by providing a place for groups to organize, plan and work on projects. Real world local user groups in particular are encouraged to setup their online presence at GDO. You may find this abbreviation also in small letter. i.e. (gdo)
geek: A "geek" is a slang term, noting individuals as "a peculiar or otherwise odd person, especially one who is perceived to be overly intellectual."
GHOP(task): stands for Google Highly Open Participation;
we should use DHOP on Drupal.org ;-)
glossary: An alphabetical list of abstruse, obsolete, unusual, technical, or other terms concerned with a subject field, together with definitions. Note: more info see What is Terminology
Google’s “define:”: Search tag to find definitions of things from various different sources. To use it, all you need to do is highlight a word in your browser, copy, paste it in the search form of your browser an add before the word: define: then push the "enter" button on your keyboard. You will wonder how many definitions will appear for helping you to define an english word! Enjoy!. Here is the link to the Google Help Features
GUI: Graphical user interface. A program interface that takes advantage of the computer's graphics capabilities to make the program easier to use.

H

HCI (Human Computer Interaction)

a discipline concerned with the design, evaluation and implementation of interactive computing systems for human use and with the study of major phenomena surrounding them.

HEAD

The current development version of Drupal. It is not meant for use by regular users and should be downloaded and used only by developers or those wishing to help find bugs in the software. (Thanks to Steve Dondley for this newbie-centered explanation.)

hook

A hook is a PHP function that is named foo_bar(), where "foo" is the name of the module (whose filename is thus foo.module) and "bar" is the name of the hook. Each hook has a defined set of parameters and a specified result type. Note: Definition token from API.Drupal.org

HTML

(Hyper Text Markup Language) is the set of symbols or codes inserted in a file intended for display on a World Wide Web browser page. The markup tells the Web browser how to display a Web page's words and images for the user. Each individual markup symbol is referred to as an element or tag.

htmLawed

make HTML markup in text more secure and standard-compliant.
processed text can be used in HTML, XHTML or XML documents.
restrict HTML elements, attributes, protocols, etc.
balance tags, check element nesting, transform deprecated attributes and tags, convert relative to absolute URLs, etc.

Note: For more information, see PHP code to purify and filter HTML

I

I18n (Internationalization)

A numerical abbreviation because the full word is long and tedious to write. 18 refers to the number of letters skipped. Internationalization refers to enabling translations and other-language support (including alternate character sets and right-to-left rendering) in computer systems.

IA (Information Architecture)

The way in which an information space (such as a website) is organised. It refers to the structure, content, labeling and categorization of information, including the design of navigation and search systems. The aim of information architecture is to help users find information and complete their tasks.

i.e.

id est; that is to say; in other words. A good rule of thumb when choosing i.e. versus e.g. is to think of e.g. as "example given" and i.e. as "in essence"

IDE

Integrated development environment. An advanced code editor, often a large GUI that presents source files within a project, Build and test tools, syntax highlighters and checkers, code formatters, context-sensitive code assist. Many more plugins are often available, such as CVS integration, debug trace tools, and inline documentation. A popular IDE used by Drupal developers is the open-source (Java) Eclipse (all platforms).

IIRC

(If I Remember/Recall Correctly) indicates that the writer knows they may not be 100% correct, so you should probably double-check, and don't get confused if the information given was wrong. See IRC slang.

IMO

abbrev. for In my Opinion. also IMHO In My Humble/Honest Opinion.

index

[lit] An alphabetical directory at the end of a book that references names and subjects discussed in the book and the pages where such mentions can be found. Importantly, an index doesn't contain any information, definition, or explanations at all - only pointers to multiple places where the word, term, acronym is used.
[database] A database table index is an internal list of pointers to records kept to speed up searches and lookups. In general, more indexes in a database take up more space but can speed up performance. In a few cases it can actually slow it down. A common task in database optimization is to inspect the table indexes to ensure they are appropriate.
[programming] Generally a list or array of pointers or labels used for lookups.
[programming] The counter variable used when looping through an array.
for($i=0; $i<10; $i++) { print "The index is $i"; }

IOW

abbrev. for: In Other Words

IRC

Internet Relay Chat. A network protocol that allows people like our developers to chat in real time over the internet. Drupal discussions are often going on in The Drupal IRC Channels

ISAPI

Short for Internet Server API, ISAPI is an API for Microsoft's IIS (Internet Information Server) Web server. Enables programmers to develop Web-based applications that run much faster than conventional CGI programs because they're more tightly integrated with the Web server

ISP

(Internet Service Provider) An organization offering and providing Internet access to the public using computer servers connected directly to the Internet. Generally this means the company you pay bills to for your home/modem/router connection. They are not often the same thing as your Hosting Provider who provides the hardware and network connection for your site.

issue

In computing, the term issue is a unit of work to accomplish an improvement in a data system. An issue could be a bug, a requested feature, task, missing documentation, and so forth. The word "issue" is popularly misused in lieu of "problem." This usage is probably related.

J

jargon: slang: a characteristic language of a particular group (as among thieves); "they don't speak our lingo"

K

Kudos: An expression of congratulations or approval, a bit like "bravo", but treated like a noun in English. "Kudos to the team for a job well done!"

L

LAMPP: Linux Apache MySQL PHP Perl, an interoperable group of open-source computer programs. see also: WAMP, XAMPP.
layman or layperson: 1. Someone who is not a clergyman or a professional person. (hist.)The term layman originated from the use of the term laity, but over the centuries, changed definition to mean a person who is a non-expert in a given field of knowledge.(i.e. "If someone who actually knows enough about these could give a quick layman's sketch of what's going on.") Layperson is the preferred, gender-inclusive term.
leech: In computing and specifically on the Internet, being a leech or leecher refers to the practice of benefiting, usually deliberately, from others' information or effort but not offering anything in return, or only token offerings in an attempt to avoid being called a leech. It also refers to inappropriately using another sites bandwidth - by 'hotlinking' or directly embedding images hosted on one site into another unauthorized one. This results in the host site paying for bandwidth while the 'leech' site benefits from the pageviews.
log message: When troubleshooting a complex web application (like a content management), there are times that sending a message with a log message will help. When using the development environment of an application or as on Drupal.org issue's or posting's , the "log message" will show up in the development which will make following the thread much easer.

M

Mac: 1. A Macintosh Apple computer.
mock-up: In common usage, a mock-up is a scale model of a structure or device, usually used for teaching, demonstration, testing a design, etc.
moratorium: 1. A freeze on a particular type of development or activity. 2. A delay, postponement or waiting period.
mojo: :1. is a term commonly encountered in the African-American folk belief called hoodoo. A mojo is a type of magic charm, often of red flannel cloth and tied with a drawstring, containing botanical, zoological, and/or mineral curios, petition papers, and the like. 2. On Drupal.org mojo is meant "more authoritative" than the post or issue authoring.
MySql: Database Management System which is available for Linux Windows and Mac. (Mostly referred as database Server because is the mostly and broadly used database software system on the internet).

N

na, n/a: 1. abbreviation for "not applicable" (for inputs, eg survey forms), "not available" (for outputs, eg database reports). Occasionally seen on Drupal sites where theme functions or expected data for those functions is 'unavailable'. This indicates a small misconfiguration or synchronization problem. Can occasionally be fixed by executing 'update.php'
nod (on): Lower and raise the head, as to indicate assent or agreement or confirmation; "The teacher nodded when the student gave the right answer". (i.e. express or signify by nodding; "He nodded his approval"). Note: verb: nodding.
NNE(s): Non-native English speakers, in the meaning of "English is not the mother language-tongue". Note: Acronym was first used in the discussion Thread about the existence of a D.O. Documentation Task force and commented in Article - for a new Drupal Documentation Project
neophyte: New member of a community, someone who has not yet been initiated.
newbie: Individual lacking the knowledge of application functions. Someone who has little or no knowledge of computer programs.
newcomer: One who has recently come to a community; a recent arrival; A new participant in some activity; a neophyte.
no-brainer: 1. anything that requires little thought. 2. An easy or obvious conclusion, decision, solution, task, etc.; something requiring little or no thought
noob: Newbie, is an online slang term for a newcomer, or someone with little knowledge of a given activity or topic. Sometimes considered disparaging.
novice: Beginner; one who is not very familiar or experienced in a particular subject.

O

OPML: (Outline Processor Markup Language) This is an XML format that allows exchange of outline-structured information.

P

patch(es): is a small piece of software designed to update or fix problems with a computer program or its supporting data. This includes fixing bugs, replacing graphics and improving the usability or performance.
path: is generally site-specific and refers to the means by which a resource is located. This could be a full URL, or a relative location (such as "files/xyz/image.jpg" - where "files/xyz" would be the path to the file "image.jpg").
peer (to): (IT) When two programs are sending data to each other over a network, they are peers; client or user trying to get authenticated.
PHP: PHP (or PHP: Hypertext Preprocessor) is one of the programming languages that Drupal is written in.
PIFR: Project Issue File Review, a project that runs on Drupal.org's Quality Assurance server.
PITA: reads: Pain in the ass, pain in the arse.
Pitfall(s): An unapparent source of trouble or danger; a hidden hazard.
production site: The live version of a site. When a site is in production, it's available to the public.

Q

query

question: an instance of questioning; (i.e. "there was a question about my training"; "we made inquiries of all those who were present")

queue

A job management technique. Jobs waiting in a line (queue) are usually processed on a first in, first out basis or by priority, if specified.
On Drupal.org exist a issue queue for each Site maintenance departments:

the Documentation Queue dedicated to Documentation Administration
the Webmaster Queue dedicated to Site Administration
the Infrastructure Queue dedicated to Hardware & Software Administration

Note: To post or create an Issue on drupal.org You must get a drupal.org account

R

RCS: Revision Control System. A system of managing multiple revisions of files. RCS is useful for text that is revised frequently.
RTBC: Reviewed and Tested By the Community. More about Drupal Issue status levels.
RTL (Right-to-left): Refers to languages such as Arabic and Hebrew that run from right to left across a written page, and need to to the same on a web browser. RTL support can be problematic in theme design, but is possible. Drupal theme guide for RTL.
RTFM: Read the freaking manual (sometimes a less polite term is used in place of "Freaking")

S

server

Generally a computer that provides services. These services may be things like running the database (MySQL) or managing the gathering and dissemination of information.

site-maintainer

This is a composed expression that is build from two words:

Site: A file section of a computer on which files reside; for example, a Web site, a Gopher site, an FTP site.
maintainer: Someone who ports a product to a distribution. A person who does maintenance work.

For more info see (Drupal.org Membership types Table)

slang

An informal non-standard vocabulary composed typically of coinages, arbitrarily changed words, and extravagant, forced, or facetious figures of speech

SQL

(Structured Query Language) is a database access language that originated on mainframes and minicomputers, and which is now popular on PCs. MySQL is a popular implementation of SQL favored by Drupal developers.

status of issues

Each Drupal.org issue has a status assigned so that we can tell at a glance what progress has been made with each issue.

active: (Dev.) No patch is attached to the issue. (Doc.) (to be defined)
active (needs more info): There is insufficient information in the issue to proceed.
patch (code needs review): abbr. CNR (Dev.) A patch has been created and needs review and testing. (Doc.) (to be defined)
patch (code needs work): abbr. CNW (Dev.) The patch needs additional work before it should be reviewed. (Doc.) (to be defined)
patch (reviewed & tested by the community): RTBC (Dev.) The patch has received a thorough review and test by one or more experienced developers. (Doc.) (to be defined).
patch (to be ported): (Dev.) The patch has been committed to a branch of the project. (Doc.) (to be defined)
fixed: (Dev.) The issue has been resolved (usually by committing a patch). (Doc.) (to be defined).
duplicate: A similar issue has already been created.
postponed: The issue seems like a good idea, but other (often related) issues need to be dealt with first.
won't fix: It has been decided that this issue will not be fixed.
by design: (Dev.) The raised issue has been deemed not to be an issue. (Doc.) (to be defined).
closed: The issue is no longer current.

For more informations see Status levels of Issues and Issue Submit Form - Description Table, discussion.

Stub

[programming] A dummy procedure definition that has a name and parameters but whose body is not yet implemented.
[programming] A trivial procedure whose purpose is to simply provide a route to other functions that actually to the work - created for naming consistancy or API abstraction.
[content management] A page on a site that's been created, but doesn't have any real content on it yet. A placeholder used for prototype sitemapping. See Wikipedia:Stub

T

tag: [programming] A command inserted in a document (mostly in HTML documents) that specifies how the document, or a portion of the document, should be formatted. [content management] "Tag" or "tagging" is now widespread as a means of loosely classifying content. Flikr etc use "tags" to add categories to images or posts. In Drupal, applying "tags" to content is one of the simplest uses of "taxonomy", and the word "Term" is used to describe what some other systems call "tags".
terminology: A set of terms representing the system of concepts of a particular subject field. Note: for more informations see The importance of Terminology
theme: is a means of manipulating and describing how you want your content displayed to your visitors. This includes elements such as your header, icons, block layout, etc. It also includes programming and style sheets.
TOC: Table of contents
topic(s): 1.What the text is about. The topic is not the same as the main idea. 2. (or discussion topic) – A series of threads that have been posted that all concern a more specific topic such as quality assuring appraiser training.
thread(s): In online discussions, a series of messages that have been posted as replies to each other. A single forum or conference typically contains many threads covering different subjects. By reading each message in a thread, one after the other, you can see how the discussion has evolved.
tutorial: A manual designed to teach novices how to implement and use a procedure or system of, usually in a step-by-step instructions. (i.e.) The Drupal Cookbook

U

usability: Usability is a property of websites (and other systems and products) that relates to ease of use. Usability is commonly defined as having three core components: effectiveness (how well a task can be completed), efficiency (how easy or quick it is to complete the task), and satisfaction (the user's perception or opinion of the system).
URL(s): (Uniform Resource Locater) is the "address" of a resource (such as a page of content) on the web. It is the way the web browser locates your content or site. You will see the URL listed in the address bar on your browser.
URI: Uniform Resource Identifier is a formatted string that serves as an identifier for a resource, typically on the Internet. Also (uri). URLs are a subset of URIs. Generally, the term URIs is used when talking about ports, services and protocols beyond the common http: document-request types common on web pages. The exact distinction between the two is confusing, and largely unimportant.
UX (User Experience): An umbrella term referring to the overall experience and satisfaction a user has when using a website. It is important to note that this includes only what the user perceives and not all that is presented.

V

VCS: Version Control System. See also cvs , RCS
Vhost: vhost, or virtual host, 1. Virtual hosting is a method that servers such as webservers use to host more than one domain name on the same computer, sometimes on the same IP. 2. on IRC is a method to mask a user's real IP address to protect privacy and prevent Denial-of-service attacks. Note: for more info see How-To: Virtual Hosting with Drupal
vocabulary: Usually alphabetized and explained collection of words e.g. of a particular field

W

WAMP

WAMPs are packages of independently-created programs installed on computers that use a Microsoft Windows operating system.
Windows, Apache, MySQL, and PHP -- a popular combination of software for use as a web server.

weblog

web syndication

The practice of making content available to other sites through web feeds. Generally, a title and summary are displayed on the syndicating site with a link to the primary content page. The common method for this is RSS

X

XAMPP: Apache HTTP Server, MySQL database, PHP and Perl programming languages.

Y

YAD: 1. the pointer used by the reader, often shaped like a “hand.” 2. Source: A yad (Hebrew: יד), literally, "hand," is a Jewish ritual pointer, used to point to the text during the Torah reading from the parchment Torah.
YAG: speak: Yet Another Group
YMMV: (Your Mileage May Vary) 1. A ritual warning often found in Unix freeware distributions. Translates roughly as “Hey, this works for me, but who knows what'll happen on your system?”. 2. More generally, a qualifier attached to advice. “I find that sending flowers works well, but your mileage may vary.”Note: in a comment used on Drupal.org was refer to Browser service structure development.

Z

zebra striping: Alternating the background colors of rows of data. This is often used in tabular data where rows of data alternate background colors between white and a shade of gray.

Thanks to:

Contributors: Shannon Lucas, Mauror, Mike Stewart, Dman, JohnNoc, other initiators.

Notes:

Most of the terms listed and published here were defined with the use of the Google "define" tool. For visitors and D.O. members who are non-native English speakers, not confident with the English language, or have

"... a bit of trouble with the fine points of English nuance."

(to cite one of the Documentation Team members @Dman), please feel free to create an issue. The unclear term, expression or acronym will then be added to this list.
For those interested in helping with the building of this "terminology" reference for Drupal.org, please take a quick look how it came about and read the post on the original author's motivations.

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