"Disable the User"?

[Geoff Hart]

Jim Morgan wonders: <<An application I am documenting offers a  
feature by which an administrator can suspend a user's privileges,  
and this must be done before the user account can be removed from the  
system. The button for this feature says "Disable." This leads to the  
following confirmation prompt: "Are you sure you want to Disable the  
User(s)?">>

Yeah, that's a bad choice of wording. Without going all politically  
correct on you, it's important to note that (a) many disabled users  
will be offended and (b) you are not in fact disabling a user, but  
rather eliminating certain privileges. So it's both offensive and  
inaccurate.

The question is what you're actually doing here: Does this prevent  
the user from logging in? In that case, some variant of "disable  
logins" or (if you want to avoid the D word) "block logins" or  
"temporarily suspend access to the system". Does it allow them to log  
in but with reduced privileges? In that case, the better choice is  
some variant of "change permissions [or access rights]".

<<If I follow my standard format for section headings, I also have to  
have a heading that says "Disable a User." And at some point, again  
if following my standard style, I would enter a warning that said,  
"You can only delete a disabled user.">>

Personally, I immediately flash on Dilbert when I see that heading:  
"On the plus side, the new and improved product no longer kills its  
users -- it just disables them." Not a good choice. Again, use  
wording that focuses on what you're actually doing: blocking logins  
or changing access rights or permissions.

Use the right word for the job!


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-- Geoff Hart
ghart at videotron.ca / geoffhart at mac.com
www.geoff-hart.com
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