GNU bug report logs - #39778
[PATCH] checkdoc: Don't mistake "cf." for sentence end

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Message #11 received at 39778 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Štěpán Němec <stepnem <at> gmail.com>
To: Drew Adams <drew.adams <at> oracle.com>, 39778 <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: RE: bug#39778: [PATCH] checkdoc: Don't mistake "cf." for sentence end
Date: Tue, 25 Feb 2020 17:02:12 +0100

On Tue, 25 Feb 2020 07:49:49 -0800
Drew Adams wrote:

>> "Cf." is a common abbreviation in documentation.
>> 
>> Currently checkdoc warns about lack of double space after "cf." or
>> "Cf.". The attached patch adds an exception similar to the already
>> handled "eg." and and "ie.".
>
> Yes.
>
> But even better is to remove uses of "Cf." (which
> is not so common nowadays, and is understood by
> fewer and fewer readers).  It can typically be
> replaced by something as simple as "Compare" or
> sometimes even just "See also".

Do you have any hard data for your claims? Couldn't the same be argued
about "e.g." vs "for example" or "i.e." vs "that is"? Is "cf." really so
much less common?

Anyway, it is probably largely subjective, but unless you can bring up
many examples of potential further requests (I can't think of anything
else myself), just adding "cf." shouldn't hurt, should it?

-- 
Štěpán

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