Re: [Qemu-devel] [PATCH] Fix spelling in comments (iff -> if)

[Anthony Liguori <anthony@codemonkey.ws>]

On 02/26/2012 12:58 PM, Stefan Weil wrote:
> Am 26.02.2012 17:39, schrieb Anthony Liguori:
>> On 02/26/2012 07:39 AM, Stefan Weil wrote:
>>> Signed-off-by: Stefan Weil<sw@weilnetz.de>
>>> ---
>>> a.out.h | 2 +-
>>> arm-dis.c | 22 +++++++++++-----------
>>> block.c | 2 +-
>>> block/qcow2-refcount.c | 4 ++--
>>> hw/alpha_typhoon.c | 2 +-
>>> hw/hid.h | 2 +-
>>> hw/pcnet.c | 2 +-
>>> m68k-dis.c | 4 ++--
>>> memory.h | 4 ++--
>>> monitor.c | 2 +-
>>> net/socket.c | 2 +-
>>> qemu-img.c | 2 +-
>>> tcg/hppa/tcg-target.c | 6 +++---
>>> 13 files changed, 28 insertions(+), 28 deletions(-)
>>>
>>> diff --git a/a.out.h b/a.out.h
>>> index 33ca7f7..7ea8d5a 100644
>>> --- a/a.out.h
>>> +++ b/a.out.h
>>> @@ -136,7 +136,7 @@ struct external_scnhdr {
>>> */
>>> struct external_lineno {
>>> union {
>>> - host_ulong l_symndx; /* function name symbol index, iff l_lnno 0 */
>>
>> I don't know if this is the intention but this may be short hand for 'if and
>> only if'. I do use this short hand quite a bit myself.
>>
>> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/If_and_only_if
>>
>> Regards,
>>
>> Anthony Liguori
>
> Thank you for this information which was new for me.
>
> I reviewed my own patch, and there are indeed some 'iff' which might
> be used for 'if and only if'. Others cannot have this meaning because
> there are several alternatives with the same result. For the
> description of function return values 'if and only if' also looks strange.
> Some comments just translate an if statement in text.
> Here 'if and only if' would not match the C code which only says 'if'.
>
> I'll send new patches for these different categories, then it will
> be easier to accept or reject them.
>
> Many authors regard "iff" as unsuitable in formal writing
> (citation from Wikipedia).Personally, I'd also prefer to see
> 'if and only if' in full length or in symbolic notation (<==>)
> when this is the intention, not an abbreviation like 'iff'.

Yup, just pointing out that in some cases it may be intentional.

Regards,

Anthony Liguori

>
> Regards,
>
> Stefan Weil
>
>