GNU bug report logs - #28790
[PATCH] Replaced "which see" with "q.v.".

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Message #38 received at 28790 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Eli Zaretskii <eliz <at> gnu.org>
To: Glenn Morris <rgm <at> gnu.org>
Cc: jrw <at> pobox.com, 28790 <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: Re: bug#28790: [PATCH] Replaced "which see" with "q.v.".
Date: Sun, 15 Oct 2017 05:36:09 +0300

> From: Glenn Morris <rgm <at> gnu.org>
> Cc: John Williams <jrw <at> pobox.com>,  28790 <at> debbugs.gnu.org
> Date: Sat, 14 Oct 2017 18:07:02 -0400
> 
> Eli Zaretskii wrote:
> 
> > The absolute majority of your proposed changes are in the doc strings,
> > where we already have a direct link to the documentation of a symbol
> > whose name precedes "which see".  So whether the reader understands
> > that or doesn't, the link is already there to click on, and no harm is
> > done by a relatively rare use of this phrase.
> 
> IMO there is no benefit either, as you explain above. "which see" is an
> anachronism in the age of hyperlinks. Is there any logic to where these
> "rare uses" appear - why do some links get them and most not? If there's
> no logic and no benefit, they should be removed as unnecessary verbiage.

In my book, if there's no benefit and no harm, the text should stay as
it is.

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