Typically, English writers do not hyphenate open source or closed source when referring to computer software.  Why is this?  Should they be hyphenated or is it best to not use hyphens for these terms?
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Some compound words are written without hyphens (nonaggression, nonbeliever), some with hyphens (well-intentioned), and others with spaces (post office).  Is there a rule or good guide as to which option should be used?
83604
Do I need to put a "-" between "non" and an adjective? As an example in physics we say "a non isolated photon", "non tight photon"... The context is very formal (paper publications and similar). Is there a general rule? Are there some differences between countries?
45953
Assuming that these two words  off-topic on-topic  must be hyphenated, which of the punctuations in the following sentences is correct? (crucial part emphasized)  Regardless of whether it is an off or on-topic example, it is a brilliant consideration in the definition of this proposal. Regardless of whether it is an off- or on-topic example, it is a brilliant consideration in the definition of this proposal.  I know you can get around this with a verbose constuction like off-topic or on-topic, or by not hyphenating either and treating off and on and topic as separate words, but neither suggestion really does anything to answer my question.
100313
What is the British English way of referring to a source in-text.  Is it plural because there are two authors, like this:         X and Y (2011) describe ...   Or is it singular because you are referring to a singular source, like this:     X and Y (2011) describes...   So what I am asking is whether you refer to the source or to the authors?
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Consider the following sentence:     The labour-intensive and time-intensive part starts tomorrow.   I want to write this without rewriting the word "intensive."  Is this the correct way to do it?     The labour- and time-intensive part starts tomorrow.   Note the hyphen hanging after the word labour. Or should there be no hyphen after labour? Can anyone point me to a reference that talks about this?
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I have seen some people using them while others not. Should I still use a suspended hyphen in the following snippet?     I have used upper- and lowercase in my script.
82216
Is there a non written rule to which person to use in the PhD thesis, 5 years of using "We" in the papers have brought me to the innate necessity to do it every time I describe something.  Recently, though, one of my lab-mates told me that I should use I, since it is your work, if the thesis were co-written, then it would be a different story.  Is there any standard in your universities, or do you have any preferred practice.
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How compelled should I feel to use non-contracted forms (do not rather than don't and so on) when writing in a rather formal text, say an academic paper? In one case I am afraid to seem too stilted, in the other, too casual. Are there good guidelines?  And are there differences in this regard between British and American English?  (In this  there was not much more than "Contractions are more frequent in informal than formal contexts".)
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This post has two parts: (a) a question and (b) a proposal.   (a) Often, particularly while writing technical papers or user's manuals, I have come across a situation where I need to say:      A user of this software may not need to use it from his personal computer. He can use it from a phone or even from his tablet.   I have seen many authors use female pronouns (i.e. “she” and “her”), but lately this trend seems to have ebbed somewhat.   I, and (I suspect) many other authors, do not want to use passive voice to avoid this.   Is there a gender-neutral way to describe the same situation?   (b) If there is none, I would like to propose using “ze” (for “he” or “she”) and “zir” (for “his” or “her”, rhyming with “fir”) as gender-neutral pronouns. I want to know how you feel about these words.
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Reading a bit about recent Monica Cellio related posts, I am afraid that I may be using a language that is a lot like English, but might not be the Stack-Exchange-approved version of English. For example, my English has had a certain gender-neutral pronoun in living use for centuries. That pronoun is used throughout the literature written in this version of English. It is used in the English I was taught as a grammar school student and later as a graduate student working on a master's thesis. I believe that this English is good enough to communicate about topics relevant to the various Stack Exchange sites.  The last thing I want from Stack Exchange is to be booted out because I slip up and accidentally use the language that has served me so well for a lifetime.  The topics discussed on Stack Overflow (I almost referred to it as a "sister site;" would that have been allowed? "mother site?" Good thing I didn't?) are often centered on languages which have formal descriptions.  Where is the formal description of the language that is to be used on Stack Exchange?     Strive not with a man without cause, if he have done thee no harm.      He shall die without instruction; and in the greatness of his folly he shall go astray.
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Just out of curiousity.. Why are the line endings different for Windows and Unix.  I was looking around for the answer but not found.
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I have a question regarding the use of hyphens in words with certain prefixes. For example,     Neo-Nazism   Neo-Confucianism   Neo-liberal     are words with a hyphen, but     Neoplatonism   Neocolonialism   are words without hyphens. I'm especially confused with neo-Confucianism and neoplatonism: one contains  a hyphen and a capital letter and the other doesn't.  Is there a specific rule for hyphens in words with prefixes or is it purely arbitrary?
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Is this sentence a question or a statement (or other). It ends with a question, so I used a question mark. (Just ignore the tech jargon.)     I get that this should show me the PID of the SIGTERMing process and I successfully   compiled it, but how do I use it?   Edit: Another question, should it be written as (which is correct and which is clearer?)     I get that this should show me the PID of the SIGTERMing process and successfully   compiled it, but how do I use it?
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I am getting confused while using an article an. Because an is used while referring to vowels (a,e,i,o,u).  But today I read an article where for user they used a user.  My question is, why was an not used?  Could someone explain this with an example?
26507
When should we use "object-oriented" and when "object oriented" when talking about programming?  An example:     Why should I start writing object oriented code?   I personally think that there should be a hyphen, because "oriented" connects to the word "object", but I am not sure.
6032
Should I hyphenate the term 'well organised'? The context, if it matters, is the following sentence:     For this role you should be well organised and analytical with some research ability.   (I see there are other question here about hyphenation; do point me to one if this falls under a general rule, I just couldn't see it.)
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Is it allowed to have multiple hyphens in one word? I want to use the word semi-self-sustaining in the sentence     However, the ability to produce semi-self-sustaining stations is   possessed by up to a quarter of all nations.   Should we use semi-selfsustaining or avoid it by using partially self-sustaining?