docs/84851: Misplaced apostrophe in "FreeBSD Porter's Handbook"

Gary W. Swearingen garys at opusnet.com
Sat Aug 13 21:38:21 UTC 2005


Sorry if you've gotten this before; I have a mailer problem here.

Colin Percival <cperciva at FreeBSD.org> writes:

>>Description:
>
> The title "FreeBSD Porter's Handbook" implies that there is only one 
> FreeBSD Porter (or at very least, that there is only one Porter who 
> uses said Handbook).

The fact that people will infer that is enough reason to change it,
but the title doesn't imply that.  The handbook is for each FreeBSD
porter; it is a porter's handbook -- and so it may be called The
FreeBSD Porter's Handbook.  See two similar examples of commercial
book titles below.

This issue is bikeshed-color issue, unless the FDP has settled on 
something different, which, based on http://www.freebsd.org/docs.html
and (the) "FreeBSD Handbook", it has not.

(BTW, these titles should start with "The", IMO.)

> From intro(1) manpage:
-- "the BSD user environment"
   Change to "the BSD users' environment"?

> From (the) "FreeBSD Handbook":

-- "User group" and "Users Groups"
   Change to "Users' group"?

-- "Alpha User's Questions"
   Change to "Users' Questions"?

-- * The FreeBSD Corporate Networker's Guide, published by
     Addison-Wesley, 2000. ISBN: 0201704811
   A book title -- Can't be changed.

-- * Ferraro, Richard F. Programmer's Guide to the EGA, VGA, and
       Super VGA Cards. 3rd ed. Reading, Mass. : Addison-Wesley,
       1995. ISBN 0-201-62490-7
   A book title -- Can't be changed.


Similar arguments have been held for the names of groups of users.

Sorry, but a reasonable case could be made for any of these
The FreeBSD Porter Handbook
The FreeBSD Porters Handbook
The FreeBSD Porter's Handbook
The FreeBSD Porters' Handbook

As if it matters, I like the change, and am just noting that change is
not needed and that the title will need to be changed in several documents.



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