Not an error but a difficult wording

Started by PG Bug reporting formabout 3 years ago5 messagesdocs
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#1PG Bug reporting form
noreply@postgresql.org

The following documentation comment has been logged on the website:

Page: https://www.postgresql.org/docs/15/sourcerepo.html
Description:

https://www.postgresql.org/docs/current/sourcerepo.html

I was convinced that there was a missing word or something in
"because the files that these tools are used to build are included in the
tarball"
I had to read this several times, until I saw that it was actually
correct.

Maybe this would be better? (I don't know the comma rules)
"because the files(,?) that are generated/processed by these tools(,?) are
already included in the tarball"

#2Laurenz Albe
laurenz.albe@cybertec.at
In reply to: PG Bug reporting form (#1)
Re: Not an error but a difficult wording

On Wed, 2023-01-25 at 08:22 +0000, PG Doc comments form wrote:

The following documentation comment has been logged on the website:

Page: https://www.postgresql.org/docs/15/sourcerepo.html
Description:

https://www.postgresql.org/docs/current/sourcerepo.html

I was convinced that there was a missing word or something in
"because the files that these tools are used to build are included in the
tarball"
I had to read this several times, until I saw that it was actually
correct.

Maybe this would be better? (I don't know the comma rules)
"because the files(,?) that are generated/processed by these tools(,?) are
already included in the tarball"

+1

Correct English would be:

These tools are not needed to build from a distribution tarball, because
the files generated by these tools are included in the tarball.

Yours,
Laurenz Albe

#3Tom Lane
tgl@sss.pgh.pa.us
In reply to: Laurenz Albe (#2)
Re: Not an error but a difficult wording

Laurenz Albe <laurenz.albe@cybertec.at> writes:

On Wed, 2023-01-25 at 08:22 +0000, PG Doc comments form wrote:

Maybe this would be better? (I don't know the comma rules)
"because the files(,?) that are generated/processed by these tools(,?) are
already included in the tarball"

+1

Correct English would be:

These tools are not needed to build from a distribution tarball, because
the files generated by these tools are included in the tarball.

The existing wording is not incorrect AFAICS, but I agree it's a bit
awkward. I'd modify one word in your version:

These tools are not needed to build from a distribution tarball, because
the files generated using these tools are included in the tarball.

Or possibly "with" instead of "using"?

regards, tom lane

#4Laurenz Albe
laurenz.albe@cybertec.at
In reply to: Tom Lane (#3)
Re: Not an error but a difficult wording

On Wed, 2023-01-25 at 20:39 -0500, Tom Lane wrote:

Laurenz Albe <laurenz.albe@cybertec.at> writes:

On Wed, 2023-01-25 at 08:22 +0000, PG Doc comments form wrote:

Maybe this would be better? (I don't know the comma rules)
"because the files(,?) that are generated/processed by these tools(,?) are
already included in the tarball"

+1

Correct English would be:

  These tools are not needed to build from a distribution tarball, because
  the files generated by these tools are included in the tarball.

The existing wording is not incorrect AFAICS, but I agree it's a bit
awkward.

I meant "a correct version of what was suggested in the mail", not that
the released text was incorrect.

I'd modify one word in your version:

  These tools are not needed to build from a distribution tarball, because
  the files generated using these tools are included in the tarball.

Or possibly "with" instead of "using"?

Both are better; I'd lean towards "with".

Yours,
Laurenz Albe

#5Tom Lane
tgl@sss.pgh.pa.us
In reply to: Laurenz Albe (#4)
Re: Not an error but a difficult wording

Laurenz Albe <laurenz.albe@cybertec.at> writes:

On Wed, 2023-01-25 at 20:39 -0500, Tom Lane wrote:

I'd modify one word in your version:

  These tools are not needed to build from a distribution tarball, because
  the files generated using these tools are included in the tarball.

Or possibly "with" instead of "using"?

Both are better; I'd lean towards "with".

Done that way then, thanks.

regards, tom lane