VMware to stop describing hardware as ‘male’ and ‘female’ in new terminology guide

A message about the IT giant's “Offensive Terminology Effort,” sighted by The Register, recommends that when referring to hardware and cabling, “female” should be replaced by “jack” or “socket” while “plug” should be used instead of “male”. The company hopes that “she” and “he” will be replaced by “they”.

Also in the guide is a recommendation that the word “abort” be replaced by “stop” and that “segregate” and “segregation” be replaced by “separate” and “separation”.