cvs commit: src/lib/libc/stdio printf.3

[Peter Jeremy]

On Mon, Jan 19, 2004 at 01:22:54AM -0800, David Schultz wrote:
>On Mon, Jan 19, 2004, I wrote:
>> On Mon, Jan 19, 2004 at 12:28:30AM -0800, David Schultz wrote:
>> >das         2004/01/19 00:28:30 PST
>> >
>> >  FreeBSD src repository
>> >
>> >  Modified files:
>> >    lib/libc/stdio       printf.3 
>> >  Log:
>> >  Bring the *printf(3) documentation up to date with the code:
>> >  
>> >  - Update and improve the documentation for %[aA]
>> ...
>> >    o Clarify that the exponent field represents a decimal exponent of 2.
>> 
>>  The
>>  .Cm p
>>  is a literal character
>> -.Ql p ;
>> -the exponent is preceded by a positive or negative sign
>> -and is represented in decimal, using only enough characters
>> -to represent the exponent.
>> +.Ql p ,
>> +and the exponent consists of a positive or negative sign
>> +followed by a decimal number representing an exponent of 2.
>> 
>> Maybe it's just me but I still don't find that wording very clear.
>> I'm still not totally happy with the following but I think changing
>> '2' to 'base-2' makes it a bit clearer:
>> 
>> .Ql p ,
>> and the exponent consists of a positive or negative sign
>> followed by a decimal number representing the base-2 exponent.
>
>Hmm...to me, ``base-2 foo'' means ``foo represented in base 2'',
>so I'm not too happy with that wording.  It's hard to think of
>something better, though; ``power of 2'' is also easily
>misinterpreted.  I'm open to other suggestions, though.

I asked a colleague at work and he also felt that the original wording
was clear.  It seems I'm in a minority of one so I'll withdraw my
suggestion.

Peter