Re: [Emacs-diffs] /srv/bzr/emacs/trunk r105834: Capitalize non-function content words in menu item strings.

Re: [Emacs-diffs] /srv/bzr/emacs/trunk r105834: Capitalize non-function content words in menu item strings.

[Stefan Monnier]

> -      `(menu-item ,(purecopy "Show only file buffers")
> +      `(menu-item ,(purecopy "Show Only File Buffers")

Why do we do that?  I guess one answer can be "because other GUI apps do
it", but then the question simply becomes: why do they do it?


        Stefan

Re: [Emacs-diffs] /srv/bzr/emacs/trunk r105834: Capitalize non-function content words in menu item strings.

[Juanma Barranquero]

On Mon, Sep 19, 2011 at 15:18, Stefan Monnier <monnier@iro.umontreal.ca> wrote:

> Why do we do that?  I guess one answer can be "because other GUI apps do
> it", but then the question simply becomes: why do they do it?

They follow ill-defined, prevalent, incoherent conventions:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Letter_case#Headings_and_publication_titles

    Juanma

Re: [Emacs-diffs] /srv/bzr/emacs/trunk r105834: Capitalize non-function content words in menu item strings.

[Stefan Monnier]

>> Why do we do that?  I guess one answer can be "because other GUI apps do
>> it", but then the question simply becomes: why do they do it?
> They follow ill-defined, prevalent, incoherent conventions:
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Letter_case#Headings_and_publication_titles

That's also my impression.  If that's the only reason, then I don't see
why Emacs should follow that bad habit.


        Stefan

Re: [Emacs-diffs] /srv/bzr/emacs/trunk r105834: Capitalize non-function content words in menu item strings.

[Juri Linkov]

>> -      `(menu-item ,(purecopy "Show only file buffers")
>> +      `(menu-item ,(purecopy "Show Only File Buffers")
>
> Why do we do that?  I guess one answer can be "because other GUI apps do
> it", but then the question simply becomes: why do they do it?

I presume all apps do it because according to English grammar
function (grammatical) words in titles must be lower case
and content (lexical) words must be capitalized.

The same rule also states that the last function word in a title
must be capitalized.  That means that "to" in the following
menu items currently is grammatically incorrect:

./lisp/arc-mode.el:455:        '(menu-item "Rename to..." archive-rename-entry
./lisp/arc-mode.el:459:      ;;  '(menu-item "Copy to..." archive-copy))
./lisp/dired.el:1780:      '(menu-item "Hardlink to..." dired-do-hardlink
./lisp/dired.el:1783:      '(menu-item "Symlink to..." dired-do-symlink
./lisp/dired.el:1796:      '(menu-item "Rename to..." dired-do-rename
./lisp/dired.el:1799:      '(menu-item "Copy to..." dired-do-copy

Re: [Emacs-diffs] /srv/bzr/emacs/trunk r105834: Capitalize non-function content words in menu item strings.

[Juanma Barranquero]

On Mon, Sep 19, 2011 at 16:19, Juri Linkov <juri@jurta.org> wrote:

> I presume all apps do it because according to English grammar
> function (grammatical) words in titles must be lower case
> and content (lexical) words must be capitalized.

Where is that rule written? (And I pray the answer is not Strunk &
White's "Elements of Style"...)

    Juanma

Re: [Emacs-diffs] /srv/bzr/emacs/trunk r105834: Capitalize non-function content words in menu item strings.

[Juri Linkov]

>> I presume all apps do it because according to English grammar
>> function (grammatical) words in titles must be lower case
>> and content (lexical) words must be capitalized.
>
> Where is that rule written? (And I pray the answer is not Strunk &
> White's "Elements of Style"...)

In the thread referenced by Glenn in
http://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/emacs-devel/2008-11/msg00681.html
you are right that it is language dependent.  I looked at different
translations of menus in other GUI apps, and only English titles
are capitalized.

Re: [Emacs-diffs] /srv/bzr/emacs/trunk r105834: Capitalize non-function content words in menu item strings.

[Glenn Morris]

Stefan Monnier wrote:

>> -      `(menu-item ,(purecopy "Show only file buffers")
>> +      `(menu-item ,(purecopy "Show Only File Buffers")
>
> Why do we do that?  I guess one answer can be "because other GUI apps do
> it", but then the question simply becomes: why do they do it?

This is what was said last time

http://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/emacs-devel/2008-11/msg00679.html