From: Robert Dewar <dewar@gnat.com>
To: Felix Lee <felix.1@canids.net>
Cc: gcc@gcc.gnu.org
Subject: Re: "Documentation by paper"
Date: Tue, 03 Feb 2004 22:18:00 -0000 [thread overview]
Message-ID: <40201E09.7020809@gnat.com> (raw)
In-Reply-To: <20040203164406.ECE6460@grayscale.canids>
Felix Lee wrote:
> how about, any term that yields more than 500 pages at Google can
> be assumed to be common knowledge in the field.
If any term yields more than 500 pages, you can almost COUNT on the
fact that there will be subtle variations in the definition of the
term!
There is a reason why scientific papers (including computer science
papers) define their terminology.
Now in some cases, is it reasonable to refer to some standard
reference for the definitions being used, but at LEAST that should
be done. It is definitely a bad idea to assume that everyone has
the same understanding of a term that you have. Just because you
learned a term in a compiler course, or read it in a compiler
text book does NOT mean that everyone uses the term the way you do
and subtle differences are the details that the devil hides in!
In a case like dominator, the definition is easy and
straightforward, and might as well be repeated. That's not
true of all terms, and indeed for some more complex terms
it is reasonable to use references for definitions.
So something like "we use the term XXX" to mean [brief
overview of definition]. For a precise definition of the
way this term is used here see YYY." is appropriately
helpful.
next prev parent reply other threads:[~2004-02-03 22:18 UTC|newest]
Thread overview: 171+ messages / expand[flat|nested] mbox.gz Atom feed top
2004-01-27 15:40 Richard Kenner
2004-01-27 15:48 ` Lars Segerlund
2004-02-01 0:43 ` Robert Dewar
2004-01-30 23:18 ` Mark Mitchell
2004-02-02 11:02 ` Lars Segerlund
2004-02-03 8:09 ` law
2004-02-03 16:44 ` Felix Lee
2004-02-03 22:18 ` Robert Dewar [this message]
[not found] ` <dewar@gnat.com>
2004-02-04 0:00 ` Felix Lee
2004-01-27 15:48 Richard Kenner
2004-01-27 17:51 ` Joe Buck
2004-01-27 17:57 ` Daniel Berlin
2004-01-27 18:04 ` Diego Novillo
2004-01-27 18:24 ` Zack Weinberg
2004-01-27 18:37 ` Daniel Berlin
2004-01-27 18:58 ` Ian Lance Taylor
2004-01-28 16:42 ` Joern Rennecke
2004-01-31 23:52 ` Robert Dewar
2004-02-01 6:08 ` Andrew Sutton
2004-01-27 22:12 ` Geert Bosch
2004-01-27 18:03 Richard Kenner
2004-01-27 18:20 ` Joe Buck
2004-01-27 18:06 Richard Kenner
2004-01-27 18:19 Richard Kenner
2004-01-27 18:24 ` Diego Novillo
2004-01-27 18:38 ` Andrew Sutton
2004-01-27 18:53 Richard Kenner
2004-01-27 19:09 ` Daniel Berlin
2004-01-27 19:13 ` Ian Lance Taylor
2004-01-27 20:08 ` Gabriel Dos Reis
2004-01-27 20:17 ` Daniel Berlin
2004-01-27 20:34 ` Gabriel Dos Reis
2004-01-27 20:42 ` Andrew Sutton
2004-01-27 19:20 ` law
2004-01-27 19:31 ` Phil Edwards
2004-01-27 19:59 ` Ian Lance Taylor
2004-01-27 19:43 ` Ian Lance Taylor
2004-01-29 18:37 ` law
[not found] ` <401C3F16.3040706@gnat.com>
2004-02-01 6:19 ` Andrew Sutton
2004-02-01 12:08 ` Robert Dewar
2004-02-01 21:13 ` Jamie Lokier
2004-02-01 23:05 ` Robert Dewar
2004-02-01 23:05 ` Robert Dewar
2004-02-02 15:40 ` Jamie Lokier
2004-02-02 15:56 ` Robert Dewar
2004-02-02 16:59 ` Joe Buck
2004-02-02 17:10 ` Jamie Lokier
2004-02-02 17:30 ` Joe Buck
2004-02-02 18:55 ` Alexandre E. Kopilovitch
2004-01-27 19:44 ` Joe Buck
2004-01-27 20:17 ` Phil Edwards
2004-01-27 18:56 Richard Kenner
2004-01-27 19:31 ` Diego Novillo
2004-01-27 19:28 Richard Kenner
2004-01-27 19:43 Richard Kenner
2004-01-27 19:55 Richard Kenner
2004-01-27 20:39 ` Diego Novillo
2004-01-27 20:40 ` Laurent GUERBY
2004-01-27 20:05 Richard Kenner
2004-01-27 20:11 ` Phil Edwards
2004-01-27 20:17 ` Phil Edwards
2004-01-27 21:08 ` Ian Lance Taylor
2004-01-27 21:37 ` Phil Edwards
2004-01-27 23:22 ` Bernd Schmidt
2004-01-27 20:13 Richard Kenner
2004-01-27 20:29 Richard Kenner
2004-01-27 20:58 ` DJ Delorie
2004-01-27 22:34 ` Tom Tromey
2004-01-27 20:51 Richard Kenner
2004-01-27 21:55 ` Phil Edwards
2004-01-27 21:59 ` Ian Lance Taylor
2004-01-29 18:33 ` law
2004-01-29 19:05 Richard Kenner
2004-01-29 20:37 ` Joe Buck
2004-01-29 22:50 ` Andrew Sutton
2004-01-30 17:29 ` Robert Dewar
2004-01-29 20:50 Richard Kenner
2004-02-01 12:17 Richard Kenner
2004-02-02 17:16 Robert Dewar
2004-02-02 17:51 ` Jamie Lokier
2004-02-02 19:28 ` Robert Dewar
2004-02-02 17:19 Robert Dewar
2004-02-02 22:02 ` Joern Rennecke
2004-02-07 0:15 ` Kai Henningsen
2004-02-03 0:59 Richard Kenner
2004-02-03 12:17 ` Joern Rennecke
2004-02-03 12:12 Richard Kenner
2004-02-03 16:46 ` Felix Lee
2004-02-03 12:20 Richard Kenner
2004-02-03 15:40 Paolo Bonzini
2004-02-03 21:21 ` Robert Dewar
2004-02-03 15:48 Richard Kenner
2004-02-03 16:00 ` Steven Bosscher
2004-02-03 21:27 ` Robert Dewar
2004-02-03 22:16 ` Daniel Berlin
2004-02-03 16:07 ` Paolo Bonzini
2004-02-03 16:35 ` law
2004-02-03 16:48 ` Peter Barada
2004-02-03 17:03 ` Paul Koning
2004-02-03 17:07 ` law
2004-02-03 17:28 ` Daniel Berlin
2004-02-08 6:23 ` Jamie Lokier
2004-02-09 16:25 ` law
2004-02-09 17:53 ` Jamie Lokier
2004-02-09 18:07 ` Daniel Berlin
2004-02-09 18:14 ` Robert Dewar
2004-02-09 18:26 ` Daniel Berlin
2004-02-10 19:51 ` Kai Henningsen
2004-02-10 20:31 ` Daniel Berlin
2004-02-10 20:49 ` Joern Rennecke
2004-02-11 12:31 ` Jamie Lokier
2004-02-11 15:42 ` Daniel Berlin
2004-02-11 15:56 ` Daniel Berlin
2004-02-09 18:39 ` law
2004-02-09 19:12 ` Robert Dewar
2004-02-11 12:38 ` Jamie Lokier
2004-02-11 15:51 ` Daniel Berlin
2004-02-03 17:09 ` Daniel Berlin
2004-02-03 17:28 ` Peter Barada
2004-02-03 22:20 ` Robert Dewar
2004-02-07 0:14 ` Kai Henningsen
2004-02-09 16:28 ` law
2004-02-09 16:45 ` Robert Dewar
2004-02-10 19:51 ` Kai Henningsen
2004-02-03 16:16 Richard Kenner
2004-02-03 16:23 ` Steven Bosscher
2004-02-03 16:40 ` law
2004-02-03 16:38 ` law
2004-02-03 16:20 Richard Kenner
2004-02-03 16:54 ` Jan Hubicka
2004-02-03 16:28 Richard Kenner
2004-02-03 22:06 ` Robert Dewar
2004-02-03 22:20 ` Dale Johannesen
2004-02-04 13:48 ` Robert Dewar
2004-02-04 2:56 ` Russ Allbery
2004-02-04 17:26 ` Phil Edwards
2004-02-03 16:37 Paolo Bonzini
2004-02-03 16:56 Richard Kenner
2004-02-03 17:13 ` Lars Segerlund
2004-02-03 16:57 Richard Kenner
2004-02-03 22:22 ` Robert Dewar
2004-02-04 13:10 Richard Kenner
2004-02-04 13:20 Richard Kenner
2004-02-04 13:49 ` Michael Matz
2004-02-04 14:11 ` Robert Dewar
2004-02-04 14:30 ` Michael Matz
2004-02-04 14:43 ` Arnaud Charlet
2004-02-04 14:46 ` Robert Dewar
2004-02-04 15:56 ` Daniel Berlin
2004-02-04 14:08 Richard Kenner
2004-02-04 17:50 ` Joe Buck
2004-02-05 19:57 ` Felix Lee
2004-02-06 10:51 ` Robert Dewar
2004-02-04 14:35 Richard Kenner
2004-02-04 18:05 Richard Kenner
2004-02-04 18:58 ` Joe Buck
2004-02-04 19:10 ` Robert Dewar
2004-02-05 20:09 Richard Kenner
2004-02-09 17:19 Richard Kenner
2004-02-09 18:14 ` Joe Buck
2004-02-09 18:34 ` Zack Weinberg
2004-02-09 18:20 Robert Dewar
2004-02-09 18:28 Robert Dewar
2004-02-09 18:37 Richard Kenner
2004-02-09 18:45 ` Zack Weinberg
2004-02-09 18:52 Richard Kenner
2004-02-09 18:54 ` Zack Weinberg
2004-02-10 19:51 ` Kai Henningsen
2004-02-09 18:55 Richard Kenner
2004-02-09 18:59 ` Paul Koning
2004-02-09 19:05 Richard Kenner
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