Re: [PATCH 3/3] user-manual: use 'fast-forward'

From: Michael J Gruber <git@drmicha.warpmail.net>
Date: Oct 12, 2009, 12:50 UTC
Message-ID: <4AD325FF.6070105@drmicha.warpmail.net>
In-Reply-To: <94a0d4530910120305o49ed7c74sf6a03097b1098a5f@mail.gmail.com>

Felipe Contreras venit, vidit, dixit 12.10.2009 12:05:

Show 13 quoted lines

> On Mon, Oct 12, 2009 at 8:05 AM, Junio C Hamano <gitster@pobox.com> wrote:
>> Felipe Contreras <felipe.contreras@gmail.com> writes:
>>
>>> It's a compound word.
>>
>> Thanks.
>>
>> This removes 7 out of 37 "fast forward" in Documentation/ directory.  Are
>> we going to convert the remaining ones, too?
> 
> Sure. Once I finish pushing the patches I have for user-manual, which
> is the one I'm interested right now.
>

And how about the other 40 or so in the remaining code?

In fact, hyphenated and separated forms of this compound noun are almost evenly split, which reflects well upon the fact that there is no clear-cut rule in US English (and neither in BE).

So, if you are suggesting a style we should define it and follow it consistently. Our main source of definitions is the glossary. Now, that has a truly salomonic solution:

fast forward
	A fast-forward is a special type...

I suggest that this is the first place which needs attention, after fixating the definition, maybe not just among the three of us, all non-native speakers.

Michael