Re: .sp 1 in strerror.3 (and probably more pages)

["G. Branden Robinson" <g.branden.robinson@gmail.com>]

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Hi Alex,

At 2023-08-13T18:06:15+0200, Alejandro Colomar wrote:
> On 2023-08-13 17:28, G. Branden Robinson wrote:
> > At 2023-08-13T17:19:59+0200, Alejandro Colomar wrote:
> >> While trying to apply a patch that touches some table, I found an
> >> '.sp 1' after a table.
> >>
> >> I tried removing it to see what it does, but it seems nothing
> >> changed.
> >>
> >> However, in the PDF version, there's some change (using .sp 1
> >> produces a larger space before the next section heading).
> >>
> >> Should we keep that thing, should we replace it by something else,
> >> or should we remove it?
> > 
> > I would take it out.
> 
> Okay.  But I'd like to understand why Michael used it.  Since we already
> have a blank without it, why would have he added it?  Or did 1.22.4 have
> a bug that didn't produce that blank?
> 
> Here's what Michael's commit says:
> 
>     # ".sp 1" ==> ensure a blank line before the next section heading
> 
> (c466875ecd64 ("Various pages: Improve formatting in ATTRIBUTES"))

Thanks for the context; it helps.

> Yep, it explains the difference, although it doesn't explain why
> Michael added it.

Since the Linux man-pages "ATTRIBUTES" section uses a boxed table, I'm
betting it was working around Savannah #49390.

https://savannah.gnu.org/bugs/index.php?49390

The overprinting was invisible if there was no text on the line after
the table, but it would _look_ like the omission of the space that
normally precedes a subsequent section heading.

Regards,
Branden

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