cvs commit: doc/en_US.ISO8859-1/books/handbook/disks chapter.sgml

[Dag-Erling Smorgrav]

Doug Barton <DougB at FreeBSD.org> writes:
> What's the purpose of this change? The words are basically synonyms, and
> either is appropriate in context.

"moot" has several meanings, and the "irrelevant" meaning is far down
the list.  Closer to the top you find meanings such as (noun)
"meeting" and (verb) "to raise an issue" and (adj) "currently being
discussed" which are antonymous to "irrelevant".  Etymologically a
moot is a formal meeting, the anglosaxon counterpart of the Norse
Thing (viz. Tolkien's use of "Entmoot" for a meeting of Ent leaders)
and the adjective form means "subject to discussion at a moot".
Webster's 7th gives "open to question" and "subjected to discussion"
as the primary meanings of the adjective "moot", and "deprived of
practical significance" only as a secondary meaning.  The fact that
you consider "moot" a synonym of "irrelevant" is simply a product of
your cultural background, and other people with different cultural
backgrounds will not understand what is meant.

DES
-- 
Dag-Erling Smorgrav - des at ofug.org