Re: [PATCH v4 1/2] system_data_types.7: Add 'void *'

From: Alejandro Colomar <colomar.6.4.3@gmail.com>
To: "G. Branden Robinson" <g.branden.robinson@gmail.com>,
	"Michael Kerrisk (man-pages)" <mtk.manpages@gmail.com>
Cc: Paul Eggert <eggert@cs.ucla.edu>,
	linux-man@vger.kernel.org, gcc-patches@gcc.gnu.org,
	libc-alpha@sourceware.org, linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org,
	jwakely.gcc@gmail.com, David.Laight@ACULAB.COM
Subject: Re: [PATCH v4 1/2] system_data_types.7: Add 'void *'
Date: Sat, 3 Oct 2020 10:55:17 +0200	[thread overview]
Message-ID: <97b1b0d8-1f87-ac68-2ae9-92c2681ac49a@gmail.com> (raw)
In-Reply-To: <20201003074807.swdpnwaq2rzigadl@localhost.localdomain>

Hi Michael and Branden,

On 2020-10-03 09:48, G. Branden Robinson wrote:
> At 2020-10-03T09:10:14+0200, Michael Kerrisk (man-pages) wrote:
>> On 10/2/20 10:27 PM, Alejandro Colomar wrote:
>>> On 2020-10-02 22:14, Paul Eggert wrote:
>>>   > On 10/2/20 11:38 AM, Alejandro Colomar wrote:
>>>   >
>>>   >> .I void *
>>>   >>
>>>   >> renders with a space in between.
>>>   >
>>>   > That's odd, as "man(7)" says "All of the arguments will be
>>>   > printed next to each other without intervening spaces". I'd play
>>>   > it safe and quote the arg anyway.
>>>
>>> Oops, that's a bug in man(7).  Don't worry about it.
>>
>> I'm not sure where that text in man(7) comes from. However, for
>> clarity I would normally also use quotes in this case.

Hi Michael and Branden,

Here is the offending line:

https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/docs/man-pages/man-pages.git/tree/man7/man.7#n172

Thanks,

Alex

>>
>>> Michael, you might want to have a look at it.
>>>
>>> I'll also add Branden, who might have something to say about it.
>>
>> Yes, maybe Branden can add some insight.
> 
> The "short" answer[1] is that I think Alex is correct; Paul's caution is
> unwarranted and arises from confusion with the font alternation macros
> of the man(7) macro package.  Examples of the latter are .BI and .BR.
> Those set their even-numbered arguments in one font and odd-numbered
> arguments in another, with no space between them.  That suppression of
> space is the reason they exist.  With the "single-font" macros like .B
> and .I[2], if you don't want space, don't type it.
> 
> I could say more, including an annotated explanation of the groff and
> Version 7 Unix man(7) implementations of the I macro, if desired.  :)
> 
> Regards,
> Branden
> 
> [1] since as everyone knows, I struggle with brevity
> [2] I (and others) discourage use of .SM and .SB because they can't be
> distinguished from ordinary roman and bold type, respectively, on
> terminals.
> 