From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Path: main.gmane.org!not-for-mail From: Simon Josefsson Newsgroups: gmane.emacs.devel Subject: Re: typo in frame.el Date: Fri, 09 Apr 2004 22:22:02 +0200 Sender: emacs-devel-bounces+emacs-devel=quimby.gnus.org@gnu.org Message-ID: References: <7c4qrtqwpc.fsf@nature.tsukuba.ac.jp> <87fzbdx9kq.fsf@emacswiki.org> NNTP-Posting-Host: deer.gmane.org Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii X-Trace: sea.gmane.org 1081542291 10236 80.91.224.253 (9 Apr 2004 20:24:51 GMT) X-Complaints-To: usenet@sea.gmane.org NNTP-Posting-Date: Fri, 9 Apr 2004 20:24:51 +0000 (UTC) Original-X-From: emacs-devel-bounces+emacs-devel=quimby.gnus.org@gnu.org Fri Apr 09 22:24:44 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 1BC2YO-0006s5-00 for ; Fri, 09 Apr 2004 22:24:44 +0200 Original-Received: from monty-python.gnu.org ([199.232.76.173]) by quimby.gnus.org with esmtp (Exim 3.35 #1 (Debian)) id 1BC2YO-0001km-00 for ; Fri, 09 Apr 2004 22:24:44 +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 1BC2Xf-0005iK-14 for emacs-devel@quimby.gnus.org; Fri, 09 Apr 2004 16:23:59 -0400 Original-Received: from list by monty-python.gnu.org with tmda-scanned (Exim 4.30) id 1BC2Wg-0004kR-7B for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Fri, 09 Apr 2004 16:22:58 -0400 Original-Received: from mail by monty-python.gnu.org with spam-scanned (Exim 4.30) id 1BC2Vt-0003sk-2j for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Fri, 09 Apr 2004 16:22:41 -0400 Original-Received: from [80.91.224.249] (helo=main.gmane.org) by monty-python.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.30) id 1BC2Vs-0003s5-KL for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Fri, 09 Apr 2004 16:22:08 -0400 Original-Received: from list by main.gmane.org with local (Exim 3.35 #1 (Debian)) id 1BC2Vr-00032l-00 for ; Fri, 09 Apr 2004 22:22:07 +0200 Original-Received: from h246n3c1o299.bredband.skanova.com ([217.208.174.246]) by main.gmane.org with esmtp (Gmexim 0.1 (Debian)) id 1AlnuQ-0007hv-00 for ; Fri, 09 Apr 2004 22:22:07 +0200 Original-Received: from jas by h246n3c1o299.bredband.skanova.com with local (Gmexim 0.1 (Debian)) id 1AlnuQ-0007hv-00 for ; Fri, 09 Apr 2004 22:22:07 +0200 X-Injected-Via-Gmane: http://gmane.org/ Original-To: emacs-devel@gnu.org Original-Lines: 21 Original-X-Complaints-To: usenet@sea.gmane.org X-Gmane-NNTP-Posting-Host: h246n3c1o299.bredband.skanova.com User-Agent: Gnus/5.110002 (No Gnus v0.2) Emacs/21.3.50 (gnu/linux) Cancel-Lock: sha1:Swx1J+exXx/3V159FxMOVOwCU3M= 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:21401 X-Report-Spam: http://spam.gmane.org/gmane.emacs.devel:21401 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?)