From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Path: main.gmane.org!not-for-mail From: "Drew Adams" Newsgroups: gmane.emacs.devel Subject: RE: typo in frame.el Date: Fri, 9 Apr 2004 13:46:53 -0700 Sender: emacs-devel-bounces+emacs-devel=quimby.gnus.org@gnu.org Message-ID: References: NNTP-Posting-Host: deer.gmane.org Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Trace: sea.gmane.org 1081544636 14911 80.91.224.253 (9 Apr 2004 21:03:56 GMT) X-Complaints-To: usenet@sea.gmane.org NNTP-Posting-Date: Fri, 9 Apr 2004 21:03:56 +0000 (UTC) Original-X-From: emacs-devel-bounces+emacs-devel=quimby.gnus.org@gnu.org Fri Apr 09 23:03:48 2004 Return-path: Original-Received: from quimby.gnus.org ([80.91.224.244]) by deer.gmane.org with esmtp (Exim 3.35 #1 (Debian)) id 1BC3AC-0000Zx-00 for ; Fri, 09 Apr 2004 23:03:48 +0200 Original-Received: from monty-python.gnu.org ([199.232.76.173]) by quimby.gnus.org with esmtp (Exim 3.35 #1 (Debian)) id 1BC3AC-0002BC-00 for ; Fri, 09 Apr 2004 23:03:48 +0200 Original-Received: from localhost ([127.0.0.1] helo=monty-python.gnu.org) by monty-python.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.30) id 1BC39p-0008Tz-1v for emacs-devel@quimby.gnus.org; Fri, 09 Apr 2004 17:03:25 -0400 Original-Received: from list by monty-python.gnu.org with tmda-scanned (Exim 4.30) id 1BC35f-0005Vt-MV for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Fri, 09 Apr 2004 16:59:07 -0400 Original-Received: from mail by monty-python.gnu.org with spam-scanned (Exim 4.30) id 1BC2wl-0002d1-6p for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Fri, 09 Apr 2004 16:50:26 -0400 Original-Received: from [199.232.41.8] (helo=mx20.gnu.org) by monty-python.gnu.org with esmtp (TLSv1:DES-CBC3-SHA:168) (Exim 4.30) id 1BC2wk-0002VJ-8u for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Fri, 09 Apr 2004 16:49:54 -0400 Original-Received: from [141.146.126.231] (helo=agminet04.oracle.com) by mx20.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.30) id 1BC2uC-0006Cs-PK for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Fri, 09 Apr 2004 16:47:16 -0400 Original-Received: from rgmgw4.us.oracle.com (rgmgw4.us.oracle.com [138.1.191.13]) by agminet04.oracle.com (Switch-3.1.2/Switch-3.1.0) with ESMTP id i39KkwfB011542; Fri, 9 Apr 2004 13:46:58 -0700 Original-Received: from rgmgw4.us.oracle.com (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by rgmgw4.us.oracle.com (Switch-2.1.5/Switch-2.1.0) with ESMTP id i39Kkvf03340; Fri, 9 Apr 2004 14:46:57 -0600 (MDT) Original-Received: from dradamslap (dhcp-amer-vpn-gw2-east-141-144-83-132.vpn.oracle.com [141.144.83.132]) by rgmgw4.us.oracle.com (Switch-2.1.5/Switch-2.1.0) with SMTP id i39Kkuf03329; Fri, 9 Apr 2004 14:46:56 -0600 (MDT) Original-To: "Simon Josefsson" , X-Priority: 3 (Normal) X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook IMO, Build 9.0.6604 (9.0.2911.0) In-Reply-To: X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V6.00.2800.1165 Importance: Normal X-BeenThere: emacs-devel@gnu.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.4 Precedence: list List-Id: "Emacs development discussions." List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , Errors-To: emacs-devel-bounces+emacs-devel=quimby.gnus.org@gnu.org Xref: main.gmane.org gmane.emacs.devel:21403 X-Report-Spam: http://spam.gmane.org/gmane.emacs.devel:21403 How about we use "<=>", conventionally, in doc strings, but we also explain this convention in the Emacs manual, for those who have never seen it? If we adopt such a convention, then we should perhaps also conventionally use "=>" for "implies" ("only if") and "<=" for "if". (If you don't enjoy semantic nitpicking, hit the delete key now.) In "precisely when", the key word, which makes it equivalent to "iff", is "precisely". If you drop it, then you're back to just "if": "when", by itself, means just "if" - that is: "a when b" <=> "a if b" <=> "b only if a" <=> "if b then a" I think "iff" is much more common, in English technical writing, than "precisely when". ("<=>" is more common than "iff" in math: it is not tied to a natural language.) Also, it is fairly common in programming to use "when" to indicate one or both of these (as opposed to just logical implication): - temporal relation ("at the same time as") - condition for a temporal sequence of actions/events For example, in Common Lisp, "when" is used stylistically to introduce a conditional sequence of actions (with side effects). - Drew -----Original Message----- From: emacs-devel-bounces+drew.adams=oracle.com@gnu.org [mailto:emacs-devel-bounces+drew.adams=oracle.com@gnu.org]On Behalf Of Simon Josefsson Sent: Friday, April 09, 2004 1:22 PM To: emacs-devel@gnu.org Subject: Re: typo in frame.el Alex Schroeder writes: > Hiroshi Fujishima writes: > >> -With a numeric argument, turn blinking cursor mode on iff ARG is positive. >> +With a numeric argument, turn blinking cursor mode on if ARG is positive. > > For mathematicians, "iff" is an abbreviation for "if and only > if"... So it is not a typo, I suppose. I think that should avoid the > use of such abbreviations in Emacs documentation, however, since not > all our users come from an English/science background. I prefer "precisely when" instead of "if and only if". Sometimes, even the "precisely" can be omitted. Less technobabbly. Alas, changing "iff" into "when" can make a documentation string line too long. Confusion regarding "iff" is a reoccurring theme, so it might make sense to do something about it. (Kudos to my algebra professor, who introduced me to p.w., although only for Swedish. But I think it works as well in English. Any native speaker who disagree?) _______________________________________________ Emacs-devel mailing list Emacs-devel@gnu.org http://mail.gnu.org/mailman/listinfo/emacs-devel