From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Path: news.gmane.org!not-for-mail From: Alan Mackenzie Newsgroups: gmane.emacs.devel Subject: Re: What're the proper names for the backspace and delete keys in files.texi? Date: Thu, 12 Jan 2006 21:27:42 +0000 (GMT) Message-ID: References: NNTP-Posting-Host: main.gmane.org Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII X-Trace: sea.gmane.org 1137104875 32005 80.91.229.2 (12 Jan 2006 22:27:55 GMT) X-Complaints-To: usenet@sea.gmane.org NNTP-Posting-Date: Thu, 12 Jan 2006 22:27:55 +0000 (UTC) Cc: emacs-devel@gnu.org Original-X-From: emacs-devel-bounces+ged-emacs-devel=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Thu Jan 12 23:27:54 2006 Return-path: Envelope-to: ged-emacs-devel@m.gmane.org Original-Received: from lists.gnu.org ([199.232.76.165]) by ciao.gmane.org with esmtp (Exim 4.43) id 1ExAun-00006F-Uf for ged-emacs-devel@m.gmane.org; Thu, 12 Jan 2006 23:27:30 +0100 Original-Received: from localhost ([127.0.0.1] helo=lists.gnu.org) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.43) id 1ExAwt-0006ct-89 for ged-emacs-devel@m.gmane.org; Thu, 12 Jan 2006 17:29:39 -0500 Original-Received: from mailman by lists.gnu.org with tmda-scanned (Exim 4.43) id 1ExAaD-00048N-U1 for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Thu, 12 Jan 2006 17:06:14 -0500 Original-Received: from exim by lists.gnu.org with spam-scanned (Exim 4.43) id 1ExAaC-00047S-Jw for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Thu, 12 Jan 2006 17:06:13 -0500 Original-Received: from [199.232.76.173] (helo=monty-python.gnu.org) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.43) id 1ExAaC-00047E-8k for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Thu, 12 Jan 2006 17:06:12 -0500 Original-Received: from [193.149.49.134] (helo=acm.acm) by monty-python.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.34) id 1ExAco-0006GH-Py; Thu, 12 Jan 2006 17:08:55 -0500 Original-Received: from localhost (root@localhost) by acm.acm (8.8.8/8.8.8) with SMTP id VAA01591; Thu, 12 Jan 2006 21:27:43 GMT X-Sender: root@acm.acm Original-To: Eli Zaretskii In-Reply-To: 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 Xref: news.gmane.org gmane.emacs.devel:48967 Archived-At: On Thu, 12 Jan 2006, Eli Zaretskii wrote: >> Date: Thu, 12 Jan 2006 13:16:59 +0000 (GMT) >> From: Alan Mackenzie >> Cc: emacs-devel@gnu.org >> OK, here are the problems I have with @node Killing in the Emacs manual: >> Every keyboard has a large key, labeled , , or >> , which is a short distance above the or key and >> is normally used for erasing what you have typed. Regardless of the >> actual name on the key, in Emacs it is equivalent to --or it >> should be. >> The above paragraph appears to be an old, unreworked version of the next >> paragraph. >> Many keyboards (including standard PC keyboards) have a >> key a short ways above or , and a key elsewhere. >> In that case, the key is , and the key is >> equivalent to `C-d'--or it should be. >I actually like the first (older) version better. I think "a short >distance" will be better understood, in particular by non-native >English speakers, than "a short ways". And there's no confusing >" key is " wording. >> What is the meaning of "equivalent" in "the key is >> equivalent to `C-d'"? >What it always meant--that it produces the same effect. But there is vagueness there, though - the two keys cease to be "equivalent" when the M- modifier is added. >> Incidentally, is "a short WAYS above" intentionally so (some dialect of >> English I don't know), or should it read "a short WAY above"? >No, it's "short ways", which means nearby. Like I said: it's not >immediately understandable. Agreed. :-) >> The @key{DELETE} key, like >> ! @kbd{C-d}, deletes the following character---or it should do. >I don't think ``it should do'' is correct English here. I think the >correct wording is ``---or it should.'' "or it should do" is perfectly correct English - "do" is a sort of "pro-verb" referring to the last used verb, much like the pronoun "it" refers to the last used noun. (English is my native language). But "or it should" is just as correct, and it's shorter (therefore better ;-). -- Alan.