From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Path: news.gmane.org!not-for-mail From: Nick Roberts Newsgroups: gmane.emacs.devel Subject: Re: English usage bug in bytecomp.el Date: Tue, 8 Mar 2005 21:49:15 +1300 Message-ID: <16941.26379.290951.460068@farnswood.snap.net.nz> References: NNTP-Posting-Host: main.gmane.org Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Trace: sea.gmane.org 1110275967 11158 80.91.229.2 (8 Mar 2005 09:59:27 GMT) X-Complaints-To: usenet@sea.gmane.org NNTP-Posting-Date: Tue, 8 Mar 2005 09:59:27 +0000 (UTC) Cc: snogglethorpe@gmail.com, emacs-devel@gnu.org, miles@gnu.org Original-X-From: emacs-devel-bounces+ged-emacs-devel=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Tue Mar 08 10:59:26 2005 Original-Received: from lists.gnu.org ([199.232.76.165]) by ciao.gmane.org with esmtp (Exim 4.43) id 1D8bUl-00057p-RM for ged-emacs-devel@m.gmane.org; Tue, 08 Mar 2005 10:59:20 +0100 Original-Received: from localhost ([127.0.0.1] helo=lists.gnu.org) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.43) id 1D8bjD-0007b9-E6 for ged-emacs-devel@m.gmane.org; Tue, 08 Mar 2005 05:14:15 -0500 Original-Received: from mailman by lists.gnu.org with tmda-scanned (Exim 4.43) id 1D8bHs-0001QZ-Vg for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Tue, 08 Mar 2005 04:46:01 -0500 Original-Received: from exim by lists.gnu.org with spam-scanned (Exim 4.43) id 1D8bHh-0001Pv-TW for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Tue, 08 Mar 2005 04:45:53 -0500 Original-Received: from [199.232.76.173] (helo=monty-python.gnu.org) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.43) id 1D8bFc-0000UW-VD for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Tue, 08 Mar 2005 04:43:41 -0500 Original-Received: from [202.37.101.8] (helo=viper.snap.net.nz) by monty-python.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.34) id 1D8aQD-0004rP-QX; Tue, 08 Mar 2005 03:50:34 -0500 Original-Received: from farnswood.snap.net.nz (p82-tnt2.snap.net.nz [202.124.108.82]) by viper.snap.net.nz (Postfix) with ESMTP id 473DF48F3D4; Tue, 8 Mar 2005 21:50:29 +1300 (NZDT) Original-Received: by farnswood.snap.net.nz (Postfix, from userid 501) id 01E5562FBE; Tue, 8 Mar 2005 08:49:15 +0000 (GMT) Original-To: Alan Mackenzie In-Reply-To: X-Mailer: VM 6.97 under Emacs 21.2.1 X-BeenThere: emacs-devel@gnu.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.5 Precedence: list List-Id: "Emacs development discussions." List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , Original-Sender: emacs-devel-bounces+ged-emacs-devel=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Errors-To: emacs-devel-bounces+ged-emacs-devel=m.gmane.org@gnu.org X-MailScanner-To: ged-emacs-devel@m.gmane.org Xref: news.gmane.org gmane.emacs.devel:34317 X-Report-Spam: http://spam.gmane.org/gmane.emacs.devel:34317 > [Discussion of "`foo' is an obsolete function since 21.4;"] > > >> . This combination of "is" and "since" is incorrect English usage. > > >I think "is ... since" is pretty common usage actually, and certainly > >makes sense. > > > > Yes, it does make sense and it is regrettably common usage, but it is > WRONG. It is something that a native English speaker would never say. > In this case, it is just as easy to be correct. I don't know if it's correct or not but I think it is effective use of English. I think its important to remember that English may not be the first language for many Emacs users. "`foo' is an obsolete function since 21.4" is concise: it tells the user that foo *is* obsolete and then that it became obsolete in version 21.4. He doesn't have to understand the many forms of past tense that English can have. Nick