Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!steinmetz!dawn!stpeters
From: stpeters@dawn.steinmetz (Dick St.Peters)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.wizards
Subject: Re: have I found a bug in K&R?
Message-ID: <7690@steinmetz.steinmetz.UUCP>
Date: Sun, 25-Oct-87 16:13:14 EST
Article-I.D.: steinmet.7690
Posted: Sun Oct 25 16:13:14 1987
Date-Received: Tue, 27-Oct-87 04:55:07 EST
References: <517@hubcap.UUCP> <321@laticorp.UUCP>
Sender: root@steinmetz.steinmetz.UUCP
Reply-To: dawn!stpeters@steinmetz.UUCP (Dick St.Peters)
Organization: General Electric CRD, Schenectady, NY
Lines: 22
Keywords: argv definition

In article <6585@brl-smoke.ARPA> gwyn@brl.arpa (Doug Gwyn (VLD/VMB) <gwyn>) writes:
>If you think that naive programmers will be less confused were we to
>use less precise terminology, well, that is not confirmed in my
>experience.

It is my experience that people are less confused by terminology they
understand.

Jargon can turn a generally correct statement into a precise one, but
to a naive listener/reader, it can turn the statement into a
meaningless one.  I would rather be imprecise than incomprehensible.

This particular piece of jargon ("formal parameters") is a sore point
because I get asked about it so much.

However, I obviously chose a poor place to raise the issue, and I'm
sorry about that.  Not many naive programmers read comp.unix.wizards.
--
Dick St.Peters                        
GE Corporate R&D, Schenectady, NY
stpeters@ge-crd.arpa              
uunet!steinmetz!stpeters