Python is better than free (was Re: GNU wars again)

[Magnus Lie Hetland]

"Joseph A Knapka" <jknapka at earthlink.net> wrote in message
news:3BBE4E12.16FE036A at earthlink.net...
> Steve Holden wrote:
> >
> > "Magnus Lie Hetland" <mlh at idi.ntnu.no> wrote in message
[snip]
> > > Well, actually, according to The Elements of Style by Strunk & White,
> > > it should be
> > >
> > >   Tim Peters's way of thinking
> > >
> > > ("Peters'" is a plural possessive, I think :)
> > >
> > Nope.

Feel free to contradict Strunk & White, if you like. I won't, though.

> > If Tim were married, you would write about his and his wife's home
> > (assuming they lived together) as the Peters's home.

You mean that "Peters" is plural of "Peters" to you? I'd prefer
"Peterses" (like Joe) as a plural myself.

My comment about "Peters'" being a plural possessive would, of
course refer to the plural of "Peter", not a pluralisation of
"Peters".

> I think that would be "the Peterses' home". One Peters, two
> Peterses. One Peters's way of thinking, two Peterses' home. And
> I don't think Strunk and White would give out any lollipops for any
> usage whatsoever of "Peters'" in this context.

Exactly.

> But then, I'm just
> a guy with a degree in English (from an American university [he said,
> revealing the ultimate bankruptcy of his entire argument]), so what
> do I know? :-)

Hey, I'm not even a native speaker... (Although I've been speaking the
language since I was about 6.) I'm just a pedant, I guess :)

And, just for the reference, here is a quote from Strunk & White; this
is in fact the first rule in the first chapter :)

"""
  1. Form the possessive singular of nouns by adding 's

  Follow this rule whatever the final consonant. Thus write,

    Charles's friend
    Burnes's poems
    the witch's malice

  Exceptions are the possessives of ancient proper names in
-es and -is, the possessive Jesus', and such forms as for
conscience' sake, for righteousness' sake. But such forms
as Moses' Laws, Isis' temple are commonly replaced by

    the laws of Moses
    the temple of Isis

  The pronominal possessives hers, its, theirs, yours, and
ours have no apostrophe. Indefinite pronouns, however, use
the apostrophe to show possession.

    one's right
    somebody else's umbrella

A common error is to write it's for its, or vice versa. The
first is a contraction, meaning "it is." The second is a
possessive.

    It's a wise dog that scratches its own fleas.
"""

And that's all they have to say about the matter. For more
information, take a look at the book "Usage and Abusage"
by Eric Partridge and Janet Whitcut (Ed), which has a nice
(and very thorough) chapter on the genitive.

> English-3000, anyone?

Mememe! :)

> -- Joe

--

  Magnus Lie Hetland         http://www.hetland.org

 "Reality is that which, when you stop believing in
  it, doesn't go away."           -- Philip K. Dick