The Modernization of Emacs: terminology buffer and keybinding

[Damien Kick]

Wildemar Wildenburger wrote:
> Frank Goenninger wrote:
>> On 2007-09-29 01:27:04 +0200, Damien Kick <dkixk at earthlink.net> said:
>>
>>> If you were referring to the "free" in "free Mumia Abu Jamal", I 
>>> would agree with you.  I don't think anyone would imagine that this 
>>> phrase meant that someone was going to get Mumia Abu Jamal gratis.  
>>> Like it or not, "free software" referring to "free as in beer" is 
>>> probably the most common interpretation of the phrase for a native 
>>> English speaker. [...]
>>
>> Fully true for non-native English speakers as well. Just did the "wife 
>> test" also - she is a pure software user - and yes, free is "no money, 
>> do what you want" and that's it.

I should have used the phrase "fluent English speaker"...

>> I *never* use the term "free" if I don't want to imply "free beer" 
>> (which is a Good Thing and as such highly valuated - ask any 
>> Bavarian). Using "free" as by FSF or any other lawyer-style 6 pixel 
>> font printed phrasing is pure perfidiousness.
>>
> I appearantly missed a lot of that conversation, but what is your point? 
> While I agree that the word "free" implies "free of monetary cost" to 
> many people societies, that is by no means set in stone [...].

For some odd reason, this reminded me of an old episode of Mork & Mindy:

<blockquote 
cite="http://www.salon.com/ent/movies/feature/1999/09/03/robin/">
What made Mork think eggs could fly? And yet when he tried to release 
them from the tyranny of gravity ("Fly, be free!"), flinging them into 
the air only to have them land with a soft thwack, it seemed like 
nothing so much as a stroke of loopy brilliance.
</blockquote>

The term "free eggs" can only sensibly mean one thing, eggs which can be 
obtained without an exchange of money.  To think of it meaning anything 
else--"fly, be free!"--is comedy (or not, depending on one's opinion of 
Mork & Mindy).  When Free Software Foundationistas try to insist on the 
phrase "free software" meaning anything other than the obvious 
interpretation of the term it is annoying (or not, depending on one's 
opinion of RMS's skills as a wordsmith).  I've got this great mental 
image of some farcical Free Software Liberation Army running around, 
removing hard drives from boxen, and throwing them in the air with the 
moral imperative to "fly, be free!"

> But that aside: The word free with respect to the FSF and GPL have a 
> perfectly well defined meaning. People may misunderstand that from not 
> knowing the definition but that doesnt make it any less well defined.

This thread of conversation also popped into my head when I was waiting 
in line at the Starbucks in the building in which I work.  I've been 
ordering a lot of Americanos lately.  I always ask for a small Americano 
and the person taking my order always calls out my drink as a "tall". 
With respect to Starbucks, calling a beverage which comes in the 
shortest cup used in the store a "tall" has a perfectly well defined 
meaning.  But that doesn't make it any less ridiculous.  Of course, it 
was mentioned elsewhere in this thread that context is important.  And 
it is.  To use the Starbucks analogy, for someone to criticize Starbucks 
because their tall drinks really are actually quite short would be 
ignoring the significance of the context of Starbucks' abuse of the 
English language.  But, again, that doesn't make Starbuck's use of the 
word any less ridiculous.  However, at least at Starbucks, when I use 
the "wrong" word, they don't start lecturing me.  They know what I mean 
and simply go ahead and translate it to Starbucks newspeak.

> Again, why this discussion?

Hello, Pot?  This is the kettle.  You are so black.