Re: [PATCH] statx.2: Update STATX_WRITE_ATOMIC filesystem support

[Alejandro Colomar <alx@kernel.org>]

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Hi Branden,

On Thu, Dec 05, 2024 at 04:34:54AM -0600, G. Branden Robinson wrote:
> [trimming the linux-fsdevel list from CC, reasoning that it cares little
> about typography]
> 
> Hi Alex,
> 
> At 2024-12-05T11:02:10+0100, Alejandro Colomar wrote:
> > No; the comma shouldn't be in italics.
> > 
> > .B STATX_WRITE_ATOMIC
> > .RI ( stx_atomic_write_unit_min ,
> > .IR stx_atomic_write_unit_max ,
> > and
> > .IR stx_atomic_write_segments_max )
> 
> Style authorities differ on this point.[1]  At least three factors are
> in tension:
> 
> 1.  In traditional typography, one does in fact set the comma in italics
>     like the preceding word.  To some eyes, including mine, that looks
>     better.

I think this is in concordance with the other meh thing US typographers
do: put punctuation within quotes, misattributing them to the quotee.
I don't like that.

> 
> 2.  It is true that the comma is not part of the named parameter, so
>     under rules analogous to those that govern quotation marks in the
>     U.K., for instance, one would _not_ put the comma in italics.

Indeed.  Similar rules apply in Spain, AFAIR.

And this isn't documented in man-pages(7) either.  We probaby should.

> 3.  It doesn't matter all that much because unlike with literals, like
>     STATX_WRITE_ATOMIC, precise copy-and-pasting doesn't buy you much.
>     A formal argument name frequently _lacks_ a corresponding symbol of
>     the same name in source code.  Users of memmem(3) need not name
>     their parameters "needle" or "haystack".  So almost no one needs to
>     precisely aim their pointer between the final letter of the
>     parameter name and the trailing punctuation.

In PDF output it doesn't matter much, but underscoring a comma (which
will happen in terminals) is quite more egregious than just a minor
oddity when the last letter overlaps the punctuation slightly in the
PDF.  So, I'd say it matters in our case.

> 
> Given these factors, if you have a strong preference here, I think you
> should document it in man-pages(7).

I do.

> 
> Regards,
> Branden
> 
> [1] https://iconlogic.blogs.com/weblog/2011/04/writing-grammar-do-i-italicize-the-comma-after-an-italic-word.html
> 
>     https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/9878/should-punctuation-surrounding-italicised-words-be-italicised
> 
>     (The foregoing quotes the [in]famous Chicago Manual of Style, which
>     I generally like except for the malicious lies about historical
>     inter-sentence spacing practices promulgated by its editor, the
>     dreadful Russell Harper.[2])
> 
>     https://style.mla.org/comma-after-italicized-element/

I like the advice in that link.  :)

> 
> [2] https://web.archive.org/web/20171217060354/http://www.heracliteanriver.com/?p=324

Thanks for the link!  I applied this commit now:
<https://www.alejandro-colomar.es/src/alx/linux/man-pages/man-pages.git/commit/?h=contrib&id=bcf7d00fa4c7ce270f07d6e347c01b1f1e37580f>


Have a lovely day!
Alex

-- 
<https://www.alejandro-colomar.es/>

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