From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Path: news.gmane.org!not-for-mail From: Miles Bader Newsgroups: gmane.emacs.devel Subject: Re: English usage bug in bytecomp.el Date: Tue, 8 Mar 2005 18:57:31 +0900 Message-ID: References: Reply-To: snogglethorpe@gmail.com, miles@gnu.org 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 1110277728 16571 80.91.229.2 (8 Mar 2005 10:28:48 GMT) X-Complaints-To: usenet@sea.gmane.org NNTP-Posting-Date: Tue, 8 Mar 2005 10:28:48 +0000 (UTC) Cc: emacs-devel@gnu.org, miles@gnu.org Original-X-From: emacs-devel-bounces+ged-emacs-devel=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Tue Mar 08 11:28:47 2005 Original-Received: from lists.gnu.org ([199.232.76.165]) by ciao.gmane.org with esmtp (Exim 4.43) id 1D8bvU-0008PK-Bf for ged-emacs-devel@m.gmane.org; Tue, 08 Mar 2005 11:26:56 +0100 Original-Received: from localhost ([127.0.0.1] helo=lists.gnu.org) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.43) id 1D8c9v-0004uB-ES for ged-emacs-devel@m.gmane.org; Tue, 08 Mar 2005 05:41:51 -0500 Original-Received: from mailman by lists.gnu.org with tmda-scanned (Exim 4.43) id 1D8bw1-0001d9-VV for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Tue, 08 Mar 2005 05:27:30 -0500 Original-Received: from exim by lists.gnu.org with spam-scanned (Exim 4.43) id 1D8bvZ-0001ar-2u for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Tue, 08 Mar 2005 05:27:27 -0500 Original-Received: from [199.232.76.173] (helo=monty-python.gnu.org) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.43) id 1D8bsb-0000rN-AB for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Tue, 08 Mar 2005 05:23:58 -0500 Original-Received: from [64.233.184.201] (helo=wproxy.gmail.com) by monty-python.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.34) id 1D8bT2-00022s-6Q for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Tue, 08 Mar 2005 04:57:32 -0500 Original-Received: by wproxy.gmail.com with SMTP id 40so85793wri for ; Tue, 08 Mar 2005 01:57:31 -0800 (PST) DomainKey-Signature: a=rsa-sha1; q=dns; c=nofws; s=beta; d=gmail.com; h=received:message-id:date:from:reply-to:to:subject:cc:in-reply-to:mime-version:content-type:content-transfer-encoding:references; b=q2zFdHtvhSDwTmIiTt6qz/4GnEbCuLpggkTQF6Fxhqyd/FcrHybmi2QNaTB+9f2/NmAVn0zF2byubmUQQTWulI3QGpOnwatPDwU9NbUAoVg6m97JTv3KI+0ctUWAkn3dlSwclzD0NlnHlEOS9QNRDJeXAmO8blrByXHY5A+mMGo= Original-Received: by 10.54.17.52 with SMTP id 52mr183821wrq; Tue, 08 Mar 2005 01:57:31 -0800 (PST) Original-Received: by 10.54.19.70 with HTTP; Tue, 8 Mar 2005 01:57:31 -0800 (PST) Original-To: Alan Mackenzie 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 X-MailScanner-To: ged-emacs-devel@m.gmane.org Xref: news.gmane.org gmane.emacs.devel:34318 X-Report-Spam: http://spam.gmane.org/gmane.emacs.devel:34318 On Tue, 8 Mar 2005 08:02:35 +0000 (GMT), Alan Mackenzie wrote: > [Discussion of "`foo' is an obsolete function since 21.4;"] > > >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. Hmm, I'm a native English speaker (and I certainly appreciate fine language), but I don't mind this at all. It simply doesn't register very high on the "feels wrong" scale, though it does a little. I also agree with Nick that the "correct" form is less clear (and requires a funny little twiddly bit in the code). However, a variant which might be even clearer, and maybe less objectionable would be "FOO is an obsolete function (since 21.4)". -Miles -- Do not taunt Happy Fun Ball.