[anigbrowl]

Halt used to mean absolute termination rather than a pause, as in The Halting Problem. This was still used as the canonical term in UK computer terminology when I was growing up, but it may be different elsewhere.

[arethuza]

Isn't "absolute termination" the Unix meaning of "halt" as well?

[anigbrowl]

I thought so but others seem to disagree.

[Terr_]

I don't disagree about its technical meaning, but this entire debate is about what it OUGHT to be so that NON-technical people have an easier time.

In that respect, "kill" is probably better, since it accurately conveys common ideas like "irreversible" and "messy".