Possessives

 

Do not assign possessives to software products, software components or data. Software is not alive so it cannot own anything.

Applying the possessive form to product names carries the following problems:

  • It implies that the product has ownership or control when what you want is for the user to feel in control.

  • It legally weakens any claim for trademark on a product name.

  • You usually do not need to name the product. Overuse of a product name becomes tedious and makes the user feel they are being sold to rather than assisted.

  • It is a poor writing style that makes your work seem amateurish.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  Do Not Use

  • don’t

  • won’t

  • can’t

  • it’s

  • you’ll

  Do Use

  • do not

  • will not

  • can not

  • it is

  • you will