From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Path: news.gmane.org!not-for-mail From: "Richard M. Stallman" Newsgroups: gmane.emacs.devel Subject: Re: Docstring of `decode-coding-string' a bit misleading about insertion in buffer Date: Mon, 20 Oct 2008 13:04:12 -0400 Message-ID: References: Reply-To: rms@gnu.org NNTP-Posting-Host: lo.gmane.org Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-15 X-Trace: ger.gmane.org 1224535856 9223 80.91.229.12 (20 Oct 2008 20:50:56 GMT) X-Complaints-To: usenet@ger.gmane.org NNTP-Posting-Date: Mon, 20 Oct 2008 20:50:56 +0000 (UTC) Cc: emacs-devel@gnu.org, handa@m17n.org To: "Juanma Barranquero" Original-X-From: emacs-devel-bounces+ged-emacs-devel=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Mon Oct 20 22:51:55 2008 connect(): Connection refused 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 1KryEg-0007iY-G6 for ged-emacs-devel@m.gmane.org; Mon, 20 Oct 2008 19:08:06 +0200 Original-Received: from localhost ([127.0.0.1]:37356 helo=lists.gnu.org) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.43) id 1KryDb-0008Oe-2W for ged-emacs-devel@m.gmane.org; Mon, 20 Oct 2008 13:06:59 -0400 Original-Received: from mailman by lists.gnu.org with tmda-scanned (Exim 4.43) id 1KryDW-0008OZ-ME for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Mon, 20 Oct 2008 13:06:54 -0400 Original-Received: from exim by lists.gnu.org with spam-scanned (Exim 4.43) id 1KryDV-0008ON-8m for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Mon, 20 Oct 2008 13:06:53 -0400 Original-Received: from [199.232.76.173] (port=53452 helo=monty-python.gnu.org) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.43) id 1KryDU-0008OK-Ue for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Mon, 20 Oct 2008 13:06:53 -0400 Original-Received: from fencepost.gnu.org ([140.186.70.10]:46766) by monty-python.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.60) (envelope-from ) id 1KryDV-0004EM-7i for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Mon, 20 Oct 2008 13:06:53 -0400 Original-Received: from rms by fencepost.gnu.org with local (Exim 4.67) (envelope-from ) id 1KryAu-00029g-VE; Mon, 20 Oct 2008 13:04:12 -0400 In-reply-to: (lekktu@gmail.com) X-detected-operating-system: by monty-python.gnu.org: GNU/Linux 2.6, seldom 2.4 (older, 4) 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:104688 Archived-At: I would just add "The point does not move." or somesuch. In Emacs tradition, we treat "point" as a proper name when it refers to the current editing location. It should not have an article. Thus, it is incorrect to write, "The point does not move". It should be, "Point does not move". However, that text uses a passive verb, which is also not good. Documentation is clearer if it avoids the passive voice whenever possible. So really this should say, "This does not move point." If you see "the point" anywhere in Emacs documentation or comments, referring to point, please fix it. If you come across passive verbs in Emacs documentation or comments, please see if it is possible to make the text shorter and clearer using the active voice. Usually that does make an improvement. The explicit subject required by the active voice often provides important information which makes the text clearer, too.