Re: [Docutils-users] Scientific article example

[Aahz <aa...@py...>]

On Tue, Oct 18, 2011, Ben Finney wrote:
> Paul Tremblay <pau...@gm...> writes:
>> On 10/17/11 8:17 PM, Ben Finney wrote:
>>> Aahz<aa...@py...>  writes:
>>>> On Tue, Oct 18, 2011, Ben Finney wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>> Everyone knows what "I could care less" means. That doesn't make it
>>>>> any less an offense to language, and it doesn't argue for letting it
>>>>> go.
>>>>
>>>> You know, I could care less what you think.
>>>
>>> So you *do* care. Wonderful!
>>>
>>> I couldn't care less that the above phrase has popular support; it's
>>> still wrong because the construction doesn't match what is being
>>> communicated.
>>>
>>> The same is true for ?CSV? if the format you're describing isn't
>>> separated by commas.
>>
>> Wrong on both counts. It is pretty clear what Aahz means.
> 
> You keep repeating that point as though it argues against what I've been
> saying. On the contrary; I agree entirely that Aahz's meaning is clear
> in that case.
> 
> It's *still* incorrect, for the reasons I've explained.

You're wrong.  The English language as used by millions of people has
voted against you.  You lose.  You can rant and flail and snark, but it
will have no effect.  Part of the problem is that you are not recognizing
the irony of the construction, which is a standard feature of many
English idioms.

(I happen to agree that calling whitespace-delimited "CSV" is a Bad
Idea, but you're choosing a spectacularly broken way of making your
point and I'm not going to let you get away with it.  I'm also opposed
to any prescriptivist meaning for "CSV" that excludes tab-delimited
files -- that's also a lost battle.)
-- 
Aahz (aa...@py...)           <*>         http://www.pythoncraft.com/

"If you think it's expensive to hire a professional to do the job, wait
until you hire an amateur."  --Red Adair