From owner-freebsd-doc Sun Jun 11 4:22:21 2000 Delivered-To: freebsd-doc@freebsd.org Received: from aragorn.neomedia.it (aragorn.neomedia.it [195.103.207.6]) by hub.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 6D7D037B5C7 for ; Sun, 11 Jun 2000 04:21:39 -0700 (PDT) (envelope-from bartequi@neomedia.it) Received: from bartequi.ottodomain.org (ppp1-pa5.neomedia.it [195.103.207.113]) by aragorn.neomedia.it (8.9.3/8.9.3) with SMTP id NAA09353; Sun, 11 Jun 2000 13:21:32 +0200 (CEST) From: Salvo Bartolotta Date: Sun, 11 Jun 2000 12:23:03 GMT Message-ID: <20000611.12230300@bartequi.ottodomain.org> Subject: Re: docs/19186: Semi-overhaul docs.html To: Daniel Harris , freebsd-doc@FreeBSD.ORG In-Reply-To: <200006102350.QAA07428@freefall.freebsd.org> References: <200006102350.QAA07428@freefall.freebsd.org> X-Mailer: SuperCalifragilis X-Priority: 3 (Normal) MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Sender: owner-freebsd-doc@FreeBSD.ORG Precedence: bulk X-Loop: FreeBSD.org >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Original Message <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< On 6/11/00, 12:50:05 AM, Daniel Harris wrote= regarding Re: docs/19186: Semi-overhaul docs.html: > The following reply was made to PR docs/19186; it has been noted by GNATS. > From: Daniel Harris > To: Mark Ovens > Cc: FreeBSD-gnats-submit@freebsd.org > Subject: Re: docs/19186: Semi-overhaul docs.html > Date: Sat, 10 Jun 2000 19:46:31 -0400 > Mark Ovens wrote: > > > > On Sat, Jun 10, 2000 at 07:17:26PM -0400, Daniel Harris wrote: > > > > > > > [snip] > > > > > @@ -236,7 +229,7 @@ > > >

If you like reading BSD manuals online, here is a hyperte= xt version of > > > the 4.4BSD documents from > > href=3D"file:/usr/share/doc">/usr/share/doc, where you = would find > > > - the documents on a FreeBSD machine (if the doc distributio= n was > > > + the documents on a FreeBSD machine (if the doc distributio= n were > > > installed).

> > > > > > > > > @@ -246,7 +239,7 @@ > > >

If you like reading FreeBSD Info documents online, here i= s a hypertext > > > version of the Info documents from > > href=3D"file:/usr/share/info">/usr/share/info, where yo= u would find > > > - the Info documents on a FreeBSD machine (if the info distribution was > > > + the Info documents on a FreeBSD machine (if the info distribution were > > > installed).

> > > > > > > > > > Surely "was" is correct here? "distribution" is singular, you wouldn't > > say "if it were installed" would you? > > > > -- Dear Daniel Harris, I seem to understand that the verb "install", in the sentence with past subjunctive ("if the doc distribution were installed"), is used in the *perfective* sense: "installed" =3D "which was||has been installed" {ie describing the resulting state AFTER the installation process}, and which therefore IS [found] on the machine. AFAICS, "perfective" verbs (such as "close") allow their past participles to be used in order to describe the *state* resulting from the action [having been performed]: "closed" =3D [which has/have been] closed. Also, as an aside, this may engender ambiguity in some sentences: state or action ? Incidentally, I was thinking about another possibility: [main clause in the Simple Present], where you would find (if the doc distribution **had** been installed). I may be completely wrong (after all, I am Italian), but **if** the above sentence were grammatically correct/acceptable, it would imply a *dynamic* sense of the verb "install", and it would emphasize the idea of completion. That is, the doc distribution having (first) been installed {action in the past}, you will/would find ... (at a subsequent/later time). I am not quite sure at this very moment about the aforementioned point: the (hypothetical) past perfect in my sentence might have *other* undesired/undesirable connotations (e.g. no action fulfilment). I shall have to RFTM on that ... Best regards, Salvo To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org with "unsubscribe freebsd-doc" in the body of the message