On Sat, 3 Sep 2011, Torfinn Ingolfsen wrote:
The correct word for what computer people call a dependency is 'requisite.' Perl is a requisite of my script. My script is a dependency of perl.If somebody decides to "fix" the language of these tools (or any tools for that matter), they should keep in mind that many users are non-native speakers of the English language. Correct English is good, but but plain, simple and common English is better. No uncommon words please.
Curiously enough, the man page for portupgrade begins by defining "required" and "dependent" accurately. These are adjectives, but a step in the right direction. "Requirement" might do better than "requisite." Unfortunately, the messages emitted by parts of the portupgrade package do not achieve a similar level of clarity. For example, in certain circumstances, portuprade says "Gathering depends." "Depends" is a verb (and now a proprietary name for adult diapers) -- it does not have a sense as a common noun. I understand why such abbreviated messages may be useful in programming and debugging. But it does not belong in the production copy. Either it should be meaningful to the user or it should be eliminated. -- Lars Eighner http://www.larseighner.com/index.html 8800 N IH35 APT 1191 AUSTIN TX 78753-5266
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