(I did point this out earlier in the now defunct June tag cleanup post as a comment, but this way I can discuss it better).

Now... as per the June cleanup audit, the tag was uncovered in the audit, with the latest version also mentioning "What's freezing?" as a reason for deletion. This however made me search, and what I found isn't pleasant:

  • The tag has a sufficient description as to correctly identify the main subject.
  • The tag has been around for deletion ever since January 2013

I also checked what was tagged with the tag and I noticed the similar tag being used alongside1. As of now:

1 - (so OK, my perception of how many questions were tagged with both was a tad off)

Both tags' descriptions are inherently similar and I don't believe that the subjects that dwell within aren't that different, other than the mental image most people have that freezing equals Something isn't moving and crash equals It's gone now, but it shouldn't.

My 2 cents:

  • The are similar enough to be merged. I was originally suggesting that being merged to but the other way seems in tune with the idea that a freeze is a subset of a crash.
  • They are also meta-tags, as per the blog definition. These tags encompass several different kinds of problems and they are inherently vague. There are already some proper tags (such as or ) that are specific enough to stand on their own.
  • 4
    If they have been marked for deletion I don't understand why they would be merged. If they are meta tags they should both be deleted per the original attempt to do so. – Ramhound Jun 26 '14 at 3:07
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    A freeze is not a crash , although there can be freezes that lead to or end in crashes. Freeze has been applied when there most certannly was not a crash, and has nothing to do with crashing. Other than me not accepting that there is any similarity, I do not think that either of them as tags really do anything useful. Would anyone follow the tag freeze? IMO no. Does it class the question for grouping? IMO no. Does it help finding a problem with a google search, when you have a specific freeze? It could. My opinion you could toss them both, but merge would not seem right. – Psycogeek Jun 26 '14 at 3:16
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    Whenever I see a question tagged with either of these tags, I remove it. They aren't helpful and should be removed. Replacing with bsod or kernel-panic where applicable is a good idea IMO. As you pointed out, those are specific enough to be helpful. – Der Hochstapler Jun 28 '14 at 16:37
  • One thing worth noting. I have a certificate in the software technician field. I have worked on and with computers often as a technician for over a decade. With some university experience in both hardware and software. And I have no idea what "kernel-panic" might possibly even mean. It also seems to me that those terms are overly specific and do not encompass most OS crashes. Am I supposed to label a question BSOD even if there was no BSOD? – Jonathon Mar 31 '15 at 20:02

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