From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Path: news.gmane.org!not-for-mail From: Stefan Monnier Newsgroups: gmane.emacs.devel Subject: Re: constant `e' Date: Sat, 10 Feb 2007 14:12:01 -0500 Message-ID: References: <20070210101700.GA885@muc.de> NNTP-Posting-Host: lo.gmane.org Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable X-Trace: sea.gmane.org 1171134747 30545 80.91.229.12 (10 Feb 2007 19:12:27 GMT) X-Complaints-To: usenet@sea.gmane.org NNTP-Posting-Date: Sat, 10 Feb 2007 19:12:27 +0000 (UTC) Cc: Drew Adams , Emacs-Devel To: Alan Mackenzie Original-X-From: emacs-devel-bounces+ged-emacs-devel=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Sat Feb 10 20:12:18 2007 Return-path: Envelope-to: ged-emacs-devel@m.gmane.org Original-Received: from lists.gnu.org ([199.232.76.165]) by lo.gmane.org with esmtp (Exim 4.50) id 1HFxdv-0001Cy-0m for ged-emacs-devel@m.gmane.org; Sat, 10 Feb 2007 20:12:15 +0100 Original-Received: from localhost ([127.0.0.1] helo=lists.gnu.org) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.43) id 1HFxdu-00041U-DF for ged-emacs-devel@m.gmane.org; Sat, 10 Feb 2007 14:12:14 -0500 Original-Received: from mailman by lists.gnu.org with tmda-scanned (Exim 4.43) id 1HFxdl-00041P-1w for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Sat, 10 Feb 2007 14:12:05 -0500 Original-Received: from exim by lists.gnu.org with spam-scanned (Exim 4.43) id 1HFxdi-00041D-O3 for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Sat, 10 Feb 2007 14:12:03 -0500 Original-Received: from [199.232.76.173] (helo=monty-python.gnu.org) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.43) id 1HFxdi-00041A-Fe for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Sat, 10 Feb 2007 14:12:02 -0500 Original-Received: from tomts36.bellnexxia.net ([209.226.175.93] helo=tomts36-srv.bellnexxia.net) by monty-python.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.52) id 1HFxdi-0004i5-4n for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Sat, 10 Feb 2007 14:12:02 -0500 Original-Received: from pastel.home ([70.55.81.74]) by tomts36-srv.bellnexxia.net (InterMail vM.5.01.06.13 201-253-122-130-113-20050324) with ESMTP id <20070210191201.JPKS1862.tomts36-srv.bellnexxia.net@pastel.home> for ; Sat, 10 Feb 2007 14:12:01 -0500 Original-Received: by pastel.home (Postfix, from userid 20848) id 1B6AD7F94; Sat, 10 Feb 2007 14:12:01 -0500 (EST) In-Reply-To: <20070210101700.GA885@muc.de> (Alan Mackenzie's message of "10 Feb 2007 10\:02\:38 +0100\, Sat\, 10 Feb 2007 10\:17\:00 +0000") User-Agent: Gnus/5.11 (Gnus v5.11) Emacs/22.0.93 (gnu/linux) X-detected-kernel: Solaris 8 (1) 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:66232 Archived-At: > recognises the name C. Has e ever been known to mathematicians by any > other name? So no, in my humble opinion, it would not be a good idea to That's the wrong question. Within a "math" package/module/namespace, yes, you're probably right. But the question is "should the symbol e be globally associated with the 2.718... numerical constant, even in contexts that have nothing whatsoever to do with mathematics?" I can't remember the last time that I've used the 2.718... constant, but I do use "e" many times a day to refer to an "expression" (and "t" or "=CF= =84" for a type, incidentally). Stefan