Re: [patch] info: error messages in echo area want a period

[Benno Schulenberg]

On Mon, May 15, 2017, at 18:22, Gavin Smith wrote:
> I couldn't find any discussion online of why the recommendation was
> made.  You can make arguments either way but ultimately it is a question
> of taste.

Okay.  If you will leave the periods in translations alone.

By the way, if several messages get changed anyway,
could this string
    "No 'Prev' or 'Up' for this node within this document"
maybe change into
    "This is the first node in this document"
Even though it may not be technically correct, for a
well-composed document it should be true.

If so, then also change
    "No more nodes within this document"
to
    "This is the last node in this document"
for symmetry.

> It's not just error messages: "Error messages from interactive programs, 
> and other messages such as usage messages, should start with a capital 
> letter."

And:  "But they should not end with a period."

Hm.  Are you suggesting that also info's very first message should
be stripped from its periods?

  Welcome to Info version 6.3.90.  Type H for help, h for tutorial.

Or the docstring from --help?

  Read documentation in Info format.

Hardly!  So... there are situations where including a full stop
is /far/ better.  And in my opinion, for the feedback messages
that the patch was about, it is better to include a period.

Benno

-- 
http://www.fastmail.com - Same, same, but different...