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On Monday,  5 May 2003 at 17:09:23 -0400, Steven M. Bellovin wrote:
> In message <20030505210424.GB62309@jnelson.aus-ofc.newsstand.com>, Jay Nelson w
> rites:
>> On Mon, May 05, 2003 at 09:23:11PM +0200, Thomas Klausner wrote:
>>> On Mon, May 05, 2003 at 08:23:47PM +0100, David Laight wrote:
>>>>> } Log Message:
>>>>> } "a, b, and c" instead of "a, b and c".
>>>>>
>>>>>      I know I've probably been a pain with questioning some of your
>>>>> changes, so I just wanted to say that this time I'm agreeing with you.
>>>>> It seems that most people don't put the "," before "and", but I always
>>>>> do, and I think it is important to do so for the sake of clarity.
>>>>
>>>> But the correct English is 'a, b and c'.....
>>>
>>> Says who?
>>
> Styles change.  The copy editor for the second edition of "Firewalls
> and Internet Security" wanted us to include the comma:
>
> 	a, b, and c
>
> in such constructs.  I forget, offhand, which style guide was deemed
> authoritative by Addison-Wesley, but if anyone cares I can look it
> up...

This is a difference between American and English styles.  In America,
the comma is desirable but not essential (Chicaeo Manual of Style,
5.57 et seq).  In other English-speaking countries, it's incorrect
unless its omission would give rise to ambiguity (Commonwealth Style
Manual, 6.54 et seq).

Greg
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