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

[Tim Kientzle]

Ruslan Ermilov wrote:
> On Mon, Jan 19, 2004 at 01:22:54AM -0800, David Schultz wrote:
> 
>>On Mon, Jan 19, 2004, Peter Jeremy 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.
>>
> 
> POSIX says "the decimal exponent of 2", and it sounds pretty
> legal in mathematics, at least in this part of the world.  ;)

Yeah, I think das's wording should stand.  (It seems slightly
clearer than the POSIX wording.)

Tim Kientzle
(PhD Mathematics ;-)