Re: [Docutils-users] Scientific article example

[Ben F. <ben...@be...>]

Aahz <aa...@py...> writes:

> On Tue, Oct 18, 2011, Ben Finney wrote:
> > 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.

The popularity of a position doesn't affect its correctness. I wasn't
trying to win, and my position is unaffected by how many people “vote”
against it.

> You can rant and flail and snark, but it will have no effect.

Agreed, so I won't begin doing those. I'll stick to my preferred
approach, calm persuasion with whatever factual and reasoned support I
can muster.

Whether that has the desired effect is another matter, of course
<URL:http://blogs.hbr.org/bregman/2011/02/arguing-is-pointless.html>.

> (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.)

The criticism of my failure to make my point is well made, and I accept
that now. Thanks.

-- 
 \     “There is something wonderful in seeing a wrong-headed majority |
  `\           assailed by truth.” —John Kenneth Galbraith, 1989-07-28 |
_o__)                                                                  |
Ben Finney