Re: RFC: deprecation of nve(4) in 10-STABLE and removal from 11-CURRENT

From: Allan Jude <freebsd_at_allanjude.com>
Date: Fri, 07 Feb 2014 00:00:39 -0500
On 2014-02-06 22:18, Julian H. Stacey wrote:
> Hi, Reference:
>> From:		David Chisnall <theraven_at_freebsd.org>
>> Date:		Thu, 6 Feb 2014 18:52:43 +0000
> 
> David Chisnall wrote:
>> On 6 Feb 2014, at 18:34, Julian H. Stacey <jhs_at_berklix.com> wrote:
>>
>>> Best avoid the obscure word `Deprecated' in manuals:
>>>  It's not common/ plain English.  Maybe a geek import, or USA
>>>  dialect ?  It's not easily internationaly understood English.
>>>  Best make manuals easier for non native English speakers (& native
>>>  English too ;-).  I am British born & bred, whether in English
>>>  speaking circles in UK or Germany I never hear or read 'deprecated'
>>>  unless its in BSD context.  Few native English speakers I know will be
>>>  immediately sure of the meaning, it's too obscure.
>>
>> I'd strongly disagree with this.  Deprecated is, perhaps, only in common use as jargon, but it's very widespread within the tech field.  I don't think I've ever read an API reference that doesn't include the word, for example, and it's even a keyword in many code documentation tools.  For example, JavaDoc supports _at_deprecated and gcc / clang include an __attribute__((deprecated)) that generates a compile-time warning whenever anyone tries to call a deprecated function.  
>>
>> I've not come across the word outside of tech uses, but I've also not come across the term network interface outside of tech circles.  Deprecated, in this use, may be jargon, but it's very widespread jargon, and requesting it not be used sounds like asking for words like driver or processor also be avoided.
>>
>> David
>> (Also a native English speaker, although familiar with the unofficial fork from Leftpondia)
> 
> Uh Huh ;-)  http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Leftpondia
> American 1620 fork of English deduced.
>   1620: When a Mayflower butter maid Deprecated a milk maid giving 20 ounces
>   to a pint, & confused USA liquids down to 16 ounces.  (Beware man units).
> 
> Amerian is not always best international English.  It's a big early
> variant of English, but other native English speakers round the
> globe well outnumber American I believe.  (Start with a map of the
> Commonwealth), & many 2nd language people too will help define
> international English, (as José Manuel Barroso, EU commission
> president, said), not just natives, eg British or Americans etc,
> will get to shape international English.
> 
> Americans often seem to find it harder to grasp what's internationaly
> portable English, as opposed to American, perhaps because a large
> country makes a higher percentage of language experience internal
> national usage.
> 
> FreeBSD's manual writers, especially non native English manual
> writers, should not copy Americanisms &/or bad nomenclature from
> one manual to another, but ask themselves if they know better words,
> to make it easier also for other non native English to read.  eg
> Deprecated is not common English.
> 
> PS Light relief: http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20140206-can-drones-be-hacked
> 
> Cheers,
> Julian
> 
> 
> 
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The problem with 'deprecated' is that it often means 'this is no longer
the suggested way to do it', not necessarily 'this method of doing it
will soon cease working'.

For example, in /etc/rc.conf ifconfig_em0_aliasX is deprecated
But it still works, and as far as I am aware, there are no plans to stop
supporting it, it is just 'recommended', that you use ipv4_addrs_em0


I think the word deprecated is fine, but it should also be made clear
that nve is going away and that you should switch to nfe immediately.

-- 
Allan Jude


Received on Fri Feb 07 2014 - 04:00:45 UTC

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