Re: [PATCH 1/2] system_data_types.7: srcfix

["Michael Kerrisk (man-pages)" <mtk.manpages@gmail.com>]

On 9/28/20 3:29 PM, Jakub Wilk wrote:
> Hi Branden!
> 
> In groff_man_style(7) you wrote:
>> Unused macro arguments are more often simply omitted, or good style 
>> suggests that a more appropriate macro be chosen, that earlier 
>> arguments are more important than later ones, or that arguments have 
>> identical significance such that skipping any is superfluous.
> 
> After 15 minutes of gawking at this sentence, I still don't understand 
> what are you trying to say here. The sentence should be either 
> thoroughly rephrased or removed.

I must say that I too found it hard to parse. I presume, Branden,
that you mean:

[[
Unused macro arguments are more often simply omitted, or good style 
suggests
EITHER (1) 
that a more appropriate macro be chosen, 
(2)
that earlier arguments are more important than later ones, or
(3)
that arguments have 
identical significance such that skipping any is superfluous.
]]

But it takes a few scans to work that out. Perhaps break 
this into smaller pieces, or add some explicit structuring
elements to the sentence?

Thanks,

Michael


-- 
Michael Kerrisk
Linux man-pages maintainer; http://www.kernel.org/doc/man-pages/
Linux/UNIX System Programming Training: http://man7.org/training/