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From: Jan Engelhardt <jengelh@computergmbh.de>
To: Herbert Xu <herbert@gondor.apana.org.au>
Cc: Alan Cox <alan@lxorguk.ukuu.org.uk>,
	joe@perches.com, davem@davemloft.net, apw@shadowen.org,
	lizf@cn.fujitsu.com, akpm@linux-foundation.org,
	elendil@planet.nl, linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org,
	tglx@linutronix.de, trivial@kernel.org, rdunlap@xenotime.net,
	jschopp@austin.ibm.com
Subject: Re: Trailing periods in kernel messages
Date: Fri, 21 Dec 2007 11:10:38 +0100 (CET)	[thread overview]
Message-ID: <Pine.LNX.4.64.0712211104080.21721@fbirervta.pbzchgretzou.qr> (raw)
In-Reply-To: <E1J5ecS-0008UX-00@gondolin.me.apana.org.au>


On Dec 21 2007 17:56, Herbert Xu wrote:
>> 
>> I do not believe "opinions" are relevant here. Relevant would be cites
>> from respected style guides (Fowlers, Oxford Guide To Style et al.) to
>> show they do not need a full stop. 
>> 
>> I've not found one, but I am open to references.
>
>Well from where I come from, full stops are only used for complete
>sentences.
>[...]
>As to what is a complete sentence, that is debatable.  However,
>typically it would include a subject and a predicate.  By this
>rule the following line is not a complete sentence:
>
>	[XFS] Initialise current offset in xfs_file_readdir correctly
>
>The reason is that it lacks a subject.

"current offset" is your subject.

But I would tend to agree to "(most) kernel messages are not sentences."

Actually, I see it a bit different: (most) kernel messages are more like an
itemized list of what has been done/is going to be done. A *list*!

 * water
 * flour
 * salt
 * yeast or baking powder
 * dough (obviously)

(I'm a programmer, not a cook.) Would you really add a fullstop?

>Of course I would completely agree that some kernel messages
>are complete sentences and should have a full stop.

+1. Those kernel messages which clearly have two or more sentences
obviously have sentences. ("If a device doesn't work, try "pci=routeirq".)

Can we get back to programming?

  reply	other threads:[~2007-12-21 10:10 UTC|newest]

Thread overview: 44+ messages / expand[flat|nested]  mbox.gz  Atom feed  top
2007-11-29  7:35 [PATCH 6/6] tick: add a missing dot in prink Li Zefan
2007-11-29  8:58 ` Frans Pop
2007-11-29  9:29   ` Li Zefan
2007-11-29 10:20     ` Trailing periods in kernel messages (was: [PATCH 6/6] tick: add a missing dot in prink) Frans Pop
2007-11-29 11:20       ` Andrew Morton
2007-11-30  1:12         ` Trailing periods in kernel messages Li Zefan
2007-11-30  1:30           ` Joe Perches
2007-11-30  1:54             ` Li Zefan
2007-11-30  2:35               ` Joe Perches
2007-12-20 16:29                 ` Andy Whitcroft
2007-12-20 21:07                   ` Alan Cox
2007-12-20 21:43                     ` Joe Perches
2007-12-20 21:54                       ` Alan Cox
2007-12-20 22:19                         ` Andrew Morton
2007-12-20 22:34                           ` Randy Dunlap
2007-12-20 23:40                           ` Alan Cox
2007-12-20 22:22                         ` Theodore Tso
2007-12-20 23:38                           ` Alan Cox
2007-12-21 15:54                       ` Lennart Sorensen
2007-12-20 21:51                     ` David Miller
2007-12-20 22:07                       ` Joe Perches
2007-12-20 22:08                         ` Alan Cox
2007-12-20 23:14                           ` J.A. Magallón
2007-12-21  0:04                           ` Joe Perches
2007-12-21  0:40                             ` Alan Cox
2007-12-21  9:56                           ` Herbert Xu
2007-12-21 10:10                             ` Jan Engelhardt [this message]
2007-12-21 10:12                               ` David Miller
2007-12-21 13:43                                 ` David Newall
2007-12-21 14:01                                   ` David Miller
2007-12-21 15:37                                     ` David Newall
2007-12-21 11:41                               ` Herbert Xu
2007-12-21 11:55                                 ` Jan Engelhardt
2007-12-21 16:01                                   ` Lennart Sorensen
2007-12-22 14:04                                     ` Benny Amorsen
2007-12-22 20:20                                       ` Radoslaw Szkodzinski
2007-12-21 12:06                               ` David Schwartz
2007-12-21 15:18                               ` Stefan Richter
2007-12-20 22:09                       ` Roland Dreier
2007-12-21  1:43                     ` Frans Pop
2007-12-21  2:15                       ` Andrew Morton
2007-12-21  3:12                         ` David Miller
2007-12-21 10:15                         ` Jan Engelhardt
2007-12-21 10:21                       ` Alan Cox

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