From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Path: news.gmane.org!not-for-mail From: "Drew Adams" Newsgroups: gmane.emacs.devel Subject: RE: constant `e' Date: Sat, 10 Feb 2007 17:24:02 -0800 Message-ID: References: <20070210101700.GA885@muc.de> NNTP-Posting-Host: lo.gmane.org Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Trace: sea.gmane.org 1171157147 23453 80.91.229.12 (11 Feb 2007 01:25:47 GMT) X-Complaints-To: usenet@sea.gmane.org NNTP-Posting-Date: Sun, 11 Feb 2007 01:25:47 +0000 (UTC) To: "Emacs-Devel" Original-X-From: emacs-devel-bounces+ged-emacs-devel=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Sun Feb 11 02:25:45 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 1HG3TN-00078K-6w for ged-emacs-devel@m.gmane.org; Sun, 11 Feb 2007 02:25:45 +0100 Original-Received: from localhost ([127.0.0.1] helo=lists.gnu.org) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.43) id 1HG3TM-0007Yk-50 for ged-emacs-devel@m.gmane.org; Sat, 10 Feb 2007 20:25:44 -0500 Original-Received: from mailman by lists.gnu.org with tmda-scanned (Exim 4.43) id 1HG3TA-0007Yf-Ja for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Sat, 10 Feb 2007 20:25:32 -0500 Original-Received: from exim by lists.gnu.org with spam-scanned (Exim 4.43) id 1HG3T8-0007YT-6W for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Sat, 10 Feb 2007 20:25:31 -0500 Original-Received: from [199.232.76.173] (helo=monty-python.gnu.org) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.43) id 1HG3T8-0007YQ-0n for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Sat, 10 Feb 2007 20:25:30 -0500 Original-Received: from agminet01.oracle.com ([141.146.126.228]) by monty-python.gnu.org with esmtps (TLS-1.0:DHE_RSA_AES_256_CBC_SHA:32) (Exim 4.52) id 1HG3T7-00043f-Ko for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Sat, 10 Feb 2007 20:25:29 -0500 Original-Received: from rgmgw2.us.oracle.com (rgmgw2.us.oracle.com [138.1.186.111]) by agminet01.oracle.com (Switch-3.2.4/Switch-3.1.7) with ESMTP id l1B1PH7M027696 for ; Sat, 10 Feb 2007 19:25:17 -0600 Original-Received: from rcsmt251.oracle.com (rcsmt251.oracle.com [148.87.90.196]) by rgmgw2.us.oracle.com (Switch-3.2.4/Switch-3.1.7) with ESMTP id l1B0x1fB023127 for ; Sat, 10 Feb 2007 18:25:17 -0700 Original-Received: from dhcp-amer-whq-csvpn-gw3-141-144-80-54.vpn.oracle.com by rcsmt251.oracle.com with ESMTP id 2440223651171157043; Sat, 10 Feb 2007 18:24:03 -0700 X-Priority: 3 (Normal) X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook IMO, Build 9.0.6604 (9.0.2911.0) In-Reply-To: <20070210101700.GA885@muc.de> X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V6.00.2900.3028 Importance: Normal X-Whitelist: TRUE X-Whitelist: TRUE X-Brightmail-Tracker: AAAAAQAAAAI= X-detected-kernel: Linux 2.4-2.6 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:66245 Archived-At: To `e' or not to `e', that is the question. > > The variable `e', defined in `float-sup.el', has been around for a long > > time, but I wonder if it wouldn't be better to give it a different name > > in Emacs, because of the possibility of `e' occurring as a typo. > > e has been around for several hundred years. It is known by that name > universally in European language cultures. That `e' as a name for a mathematical constant has been around since before Napier departed his bones goes without saying, and is irrelevant here (yes). What I said was that the Emacs "_variable_ `e', defined in `float-sup.el' has been around for a long time." So it has, if not quite as long. And I was careful to say "give it another name _in Emacs_", expecting that without that proviso there would be some (the nefarious Naysaying Napier Notaries, for instance) who would get hot and bothered that I was attempting to rename the math constant in the namespace of Math. I might be heretical at times, but I am capable of choosing my own heresy - no need to lend me any. No need to defend the universality of `e' in Math - from me or from non-european-language cultures. `e' is quite safe from all, with the single exception of Georges Perec (aka Gorgs Prc). (I used to think that suggesting changes to emacs-devel was like pulling teeth, but I've grown to learn that dentistry is nowhere near as difficult as I once imagined, at least not as a relative measure.) > If e were to be renamed, how would anybody find out it exists? How did you find out that a variable named `e' exists with the value it has? How do you find out that any variable exists? > Who would remember the new name? Do you generally have trouble remembering names longer than one character? If so, do you think Emacs should cater to that disability? If so, how? ;-) Just attempted humor, folks. No need to donate to emacs-abuse@gnu.org yet. Anyway, as I said, I won't fight this one. If people want `e', `e' it shall `b'.