Re: [Emacs-diffs] master 9ce1d38: Use curved quotes in core elisp diagnostics

[Paul Eggert <eggert@cs.ucla.edu>]

Bastien wrote:
> Paul Eggert <eggert@cs.ucla.edu> writes:
>
>> Format strings are easier to read and use, particularly by novices, if
>> characters typically stand for themselves.
>
> Did we ever receive a complaint from a novice about `...' readability?

Most novices don't bother to write bug reports -- they don't even know how to 
write bug reports.  But yes, people occasionally gripe about the use of grave 
accent to quote, and this can hurt Emacs's reputation among people who may not 
know it better.  For example, <http://wordyenglish.com/musing/typography.html> 
(2007) says:

"the problem with the GNU is that even today, in 2007, where curly quotes have 
been widely available in word processors for over a decade (and Unicode have 
been practical and widely available for at least 5 years...), they are still 
using plain ASCII hacks. (in general, GNU and the Open Source morons have like a 
5 to 10 years lag in adopting technology, for reasons that are inadvertently 
intentional and or simply incapable)"

And here we are in 2015, with the quote problem still only partly fixed.