[bug #61432] [PATCH] [doc] fix explanations of units "em" and "en"

[G. Branden Robinson]

Update of bug #61432 (project groff):

                Category:                    None => General                
                  Status:                    None => In Progress            
             Assigned to:                    None => gbranden               

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Follow-up Comment #2:

[comment #1 comment #1:]
> I agree, it's important to clarify that an en is by definition half an em,
and its relation to the size of the letter n is more rule of thumb.
> 
> In the line of doc/groff.texi changed by this patch, I would also be tempted
to remove the italics on "approximately," as it's not clear what extra
information that imparts.  Is an italic "approximately" somehow more
approximate than a roman one?

These points are both well taken.

Regarding the chunks of Bjarni's patch:


diff --git a/doc/groff.texi b/doc/groff.texi
index 6ee4a199..b9eb0e1b 100644
--- a/doc/groff.texi
+++ b/doc/groff.texi
@@ -5508,7 +5508,7 @@ specifying measurements that should look proper with any
size of text.
 @cindex @code{m} unit
 @cindex unit, @code{m}
 Ems.  This unit is equal to the current font size in points.  So called
-because it is @emph{approximately} the width of the letter@tie{}@samp{m}
+because it is @emph{approximately} the width of the letter@tie{}@samp{M}
 in the current font.
 
 @item n


Fair point--I see that the term is traditionally defined in terms of the
capital letter.


diff --git a/doc/ms.ms b/doc/ms.ms
index 08c5c01e..ac530b2d 100644
--- a/doc/ms.ms
+++ b/doc/ms.ms
@@ -143,7 +143,7 @@ The following table summarizes typical units.
 .
 .TS
 box center;
-cb cb
+cb lb
 cf(CR) l .
 Unit   Description
 _
@@ -152,8 +152,8 @@ c   centimeters
 p      points (1/72\[sd])
 P      picas (1/6\[sd])
 v      \[lq]vees\[rq]; height of a line using the current font
-n      \[lq]ens\[rq]; width of an \[lq]n\[rq] using the current font
-m      \[lq]ems\[rq]; width of an \[lq]M\[rq] using the current font
+m      \[lq]ems\[rq]; type size of the font; approx. width of an \[lq]M\[rq]
+n      \[lq]ens\[rq]; same as em/2; approx. width of an \[lq]n\[rq]
 .TE
 .
 .


This one, I don't like as much.  The realignment of the column heading is
fine, but I don't think the (mostly) copy-and-paste from groff(7) to here is
helpful.  I have changes to the units/measurement sections of groff(7) and
roff(7) pending, and will try to align ms.ms with those.


diff --git a/man/groff.7.man b/man/groff.7.man
index cbc0f53c..fc063b8a 100644
--- a/man/groff.7.man
+++ b/man/groff.7.man
@@ -795,12 +795,12 @@ point\ \[eq]\ 1/72\ inch
 .
 .TPx
 .B m
-em\ \[eq]\ \f[R]the font size in points (approx.\& width of letter
-\[oq]\f[CR]m\f[R]\[cq])
+em\ \[eq]\ the font size in points (approx.\& width of letter
+\[oq]\f[CR]M\f[R]\[cq])
 .
 .TPx
 .B M
-100\^th \f[R]of an \f[CR]em
+100\^th of an \f[CR]em
 .
 .TPx
 .B n


The former hunk is something I already have revision pending for, but will add
the upcasing of the quoted "m".

The latter hunk is also a good catch, but I aim to recast that item even
further.  The page has a tendency to use fractions ungrammatically.

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