Re: nonbreaking spaces (was: [patch] nscd.conf.5: describe reloading, clarifications) - Alejandro Colomar (man-pages)

From: "Alejandro Colomar (man-pages)" <alx.manpages@gmail.com>
To: "G. Branden Robinson" <g.branden.robinson@gmail.com>
Cc: Michael Kerrisk <mtk.manpages@gmail.com>,
	"linux-man@vger.kernel.org" <linux-man@vger.kernel.org>
Subject: Re: nonbreaking spaces (was: [patch] nscd.conf.5: describe reloading, clarifications)
Date: Thu, 29 Jul 2021 14:18:30 +0200	[thread overview]
Message-ID: <594e480c-96d4-669c-081e-d3075d5a6e7d@gmail.com> (raw)
In-Reply-To: <20210729115508.pt6btsqd7g5tuhg6@localhost.localdomain>

Hi Branden!

On 7/29/21 1:55 PM, G. Branden Robinson wrote:
> Hi, Alex!
> 
> At 2021-07-28T22:31:26+0200, Alejandro Colomar (man-pages) wrote:
>> Also from man-pages(7):
> [...]
>>         If the command is short, then it can be included inline  in
>>         the  text,  in italic format, for example, man 7 man‐pages.
>>         In this case, it may  be  worth  using  nonbreaking  spaces
>>         ("\ ")  at suitable places in the command.  Command options
>>         should be written in italics (e.g., -l).
> 
> I'd like to note that \~ is a superior escape sequence to use for this
> purpose in most siutations.  The problem is that "\ " does, or rather
> doesn't do, two things: it doesn't break and it doesn't adjust (that
> is, it doesn't participate in widening when a line is justified to both
> the left and right margins, a common typesetting practice).

Can you provide some examples of rendered output with '\ ' and '\~'?
I think I understand it, but a graphical example might be better.

>  It's also,
> in my opinion, confusing to see and to write and speak about.

I'm not sure I understood this sentence :)

> 
> \~ is, admittedly, a groffism, but it is one that has been supported by
> other actively maintained troff implementations and man page
> rendererers.
> 
> Heirloom Doctools troff has supported it since its 2005-09-15
> release[1].  mandoc has supported it since 2018-12-15[2], released
> 2019-03-10[3].
> 
> (Support in groff itself goes at least as far back as version 1.02, in
> June 1991[4].)

Support looks good.

> 
> What do you think about updating this guidance?

I'm not sure I understood the difference completely,
I'll comment about it when you provide some examples.

Kind regards,

Alex

> 
> Regards,
> Branden
> 
> [1] https://github.com/n-t-roff/heirloom-doctools/blob/master/CHANGES_GR#L1143
> [2] https://cvsweb.bsd.lv/mandoc/mandoc.c.diff?r1=1.110&r2=1.111
> [3] https://mandoc.bsd.lv/
> [4] https://git.savannah.gnu.org/cgit/groff.git/tree/troff/input.c?id=351da0dcdf702cf243d26ffa998961bce2aa8653#n1270
> 

-- 
Alejandro Colomar
Linux man-pages comaintainer; https://www.kernel.org/doc/man-pages/
http://www.alejandro-colomar.es/