Subject: misc/4371: /usr/share/samples is a misnomer
To: None <gnats-bugs@gnats.netbsd.org>
From: None <jbernard@tater.mines.edu>
List: netbsd-bugs
Date: 10/28/1997 09:06:59
>Number: 4371
>Category: misc
>Synopsis: /usr/share/samples should be renamed /usr/share/examples
>Confidential: no
>Severity: non-critical
>Priority: high
>Responsible: misc-bug-people (Misc Bug People)
>State: open
>Class: change-request
>Submitter-Id: net
>Arrival-Date: Tue Oct 28 08:20:01 1997
>Last-Modified:
>Originator: Jim Bernard
>Organization:
Pedants Anonymous
>Release: October 28, 1997 (1.3_ALPHA)
>Environment:
System: NetBSD zoo 1.3_ALPHA NetBSD 1.3_ALPHA (ZOO) #0: Sat Oct 25 08:10:12 MDT 1997 local@zoo:/home/local/compile/sys/arch/i386/compile/ZOO i386
>Description:
The term "sample" refers to "a portion, piece, or segment regarded
as representative of a whole" and minor variations thereto. The
word "specimen" is regarded as a good synonym. The term "example,"
while usable as a synonym for sample (the reverse is not true), has
the meaning (in the tree) of "something worthy of imitation or
duplication; a model; a pattern, exemplar." The words "instance,"
"case," and "illustration" are regarded as good synonyms of this
meaning.
The contents of /usr/share/samples/ipf (no other subdirectories are
present) comprise *examples* of setup files for ipf , not *samples*
of ipf itself. Indeed, most of the files in /usr/share/samples/ipf
have the word "example" in the filename!
Since this is a recent addition to the tree, and no releases have
gone out with the misnomer, this is an ideal opportunity to stamp
out this linguistic imprecision *before* it becomes enshrined as
precedent (hence the "high" priority rating).
>How-To-Repeat:
Look up "example" and "sample" in a dictionary; note the distinction,
and compare with the intended purpose of the contents of
/usr/share/samples.
>Fix:
mv /usr/share/samples /usr/share/examples
(Well, it's actually a little more complicated than this, but it
should be rather trivial.)
>Audit-Trail:
>Unformatted: