Re: [gentoo-user] I can RTFM, but can I understand it: re elog messages

[Peter Humphrey <peter@humphrey.ukfsn.org>]

On Friday 20 August 2010 14:20:35 Bill Longman wrote:
> On 08/19/2010 04:38 PM, Peter Humphrey wrote:
> > On Thursday 19 August 2010 21:21:20 Kevin O'Gorman wrote:
> >> So I looked up "auto-hinter" in the flagedit(1) program. It says:
> >> auto-hinter: Local Flag: Use the unpatented auto-hinter instead
> >> of the (recommended) TrueType bytecode interpreter (media-
> >> libs/freetype)
> >> 
> >> The placement of the "(recommended)" is just a bit ambiguous.
> > 
> > No, it isn't. You may be being confused by the unnecessary
> > inclusion of brackets (parentheses if you're American); remove
> > them and you see that the TrueType byte-code interpreter is
> > recommended. Or, just consider the phrase "the recommended
> > TrueType bytecode interpreter", with or without brackets. I can't
> > see how that could be thought ambiguous.
> 
> I have to agree it's ambiguous. You have to wonder why the
> parenthetical "recommended" is offset if it's just part of the
> sentence. If it were as you say, there would be no need to put them
> there. As it is written it sounds like it's making an aside claiming
> that one of them is recommended and, by its placement, it's hard to
> discern its antecedent.

Its placement puts it squarely with the noun phrase following it. To 
associate it with the preceding one instead would be perverse. (Just to 
continue flogging a dead horse...)		:-)

I agree though that the brackets are neither necessary nor helpful.

-- 
Rgds
Peter.          Linux Counter 5290, 1994-04-23.