GNU bug report logs - #21472
25.0.50; REGRESSION: (emacs) `Coding Systems' uses curly quotes for Lisp strings

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Message #82 received at 21472 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Paul Eggert <eggert <at> cs.ucla.edu>
To: Eli Zaretskii <eliz <at> gnu.org>
Cc: 21472 <at> debbugs.gnu.org, drew.adams <at> oracle.com
Subject: Re: bug#21472: 25.0.50; REGRESSION: (emacs) `Coding Systems' uses
 curly quotes for Lisp strings
Date: Wed, 16 Sep 2015 08:31:00 -0700

Eli Zaretskii wrote:
> For example, any use of "magic" where no real magic (as in Gandalf
> coming in and performing it) should be quoted, because the literal
> meaning is too far-fetched.  Likewise in other similar situations,

I'll give you “magic” as that is a gray area, where it's no big deal either way, 
but there are many other quotes that are clearly unnecessary, e.g.:

  Some mice have a ``wheel''

  The @dfn{clipboard} is the facility that most graphical applications use for 
``cutting and pasting''.

  If you exit Emacs while it is the current ``owner'' of the clipboard data,

  the @var{predicate} should return non-@code{nil} if the first element is 
``less'' than the second, or @code{nil} if not.

Quotes like these are a disservice to the reader: the reader must slow down and 
process them and think “why is this phrase being quoted?” and the answer to that 
question is not worth the cost of the mental processing.  There is no need to 
quote the word “push” merely because it is used as a noun!

Anyway, clearly you prefer manuals that are way overquoted compared to standard 
English style.  To me, and I think to most people, this gives the manuals a 
overly “fussy” look.  (Apparently I need to quote “fussy” as the manuals are not 
actually fussing. :-)  But I’m not going to “fight” over it.  (The quotes are 
because it wouldn’t be an actual fight with actual fisticuffs. :-)

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