Use of 'populate'

[Dori Green]

1.   Technical writers are supposed to write clearly and avoid jargon.  

2.   Even as jargon, “populate” is not being used correctly in this context.  While I have heard it used to describe the process of automatically loading a database field, its official definition according to computerhope.com follows:

Populate

When referring to a computer circuit board <http://www.computerhope.com/jargon/c/circuitb.htm> , populate is a term used to describe how full or used the board being described is. For example, a circuit board may be fully populated with ICs <http://www.computerhope.com/jargon/i/ic.htm>  and other components, not allowing anything else to be added onto it. 

Also see: Circuit board <http://www.computerhope.com/jargon/c/circuitb.htm> 

3.   Unless you are squeezing very soft people into your laptop (a messy process at best), you are not "populating" according to dictionary.com :

pop·u·late     <https://secure.reference.com/premium/login.html?rd=2&u=http%3A%2F%2Fdictionary.reference.com%2Fbrowse%2Fpopulate>   /ˈpɒpyəˌleɪt/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[pop-yuh-leyt] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation 

–verb (used with object), -lat·ed, -lat·ing. 

1.    to inhabit; live in; be the inhabitants of. 

2.	to furnish with inhabitants, as by colonization; people. 

[Origin: 1570–80; < ML populātus, ptp. of populāre to inhabit. See people <http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=people> , -ate <http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=-ate> 1] 


Dori Green