Somebody teach MS English
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Let's see....the MS Installer displays the following during installation, "Program X is being installed." Sorry folks, in my English classes, all my teachers would have put a big red mark around that one. MS Communicator tells us politely, "Joe Smith is typing a message." Not a chance. Whomever writes these programs, please learn English above the second grade level.
Nonsense. The so-called "laws of grammar" were not handed to us on tablets of stone by a fearsome God, but were the somewhat arbitrary musings of a bunch of Victorian academics who had nothing better to do and who, IMHO, had no right to dictate to anyone what "proper" Englsih is. English, like all languages, is in constant flux and evolution, and why anyone thinks it good, proper or wise to try and fix it in aspic as it was spoken over a hundred years ago is beyond me. There is absolutely nothing wrong with either example. And I am far from convinced about your use of "Whomever"...
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ProgramX installing. Joe Smith types a message.
Tim Schwallie wrote:
ProgramX installing.
Technically, the program itself is being installed - it is not installing itself. Strike 1.
Tim Schwallie wrote:
Joe Smith types a message.
Your version is wrong. It is technically correc t to say that so-and-so is typing a message. Strike 2. You're a moron. Strike 3 (but thanks for playing our game).
"Why don't you tie a kerosene-soaked rag around your ankles so the ants won't climb up and eat your candy ass..." - Dale Earnhardt, 1997
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"...the staggering layers of obscenity in your statement make it a work of art on so many levels." - Jason Jystad, 10/26/2001 -
Tim Schwallie wrote:
ProgramX installing.
Technically, the program itself is being installed - it is not installing itself. Strike 1.
Tim Schwallie wrote:
Joe Smith types a message.
Your version is wrong. It is technically correc t to say that so-and-so is typing a message. Strike 2. You're a moron. Strike 3 (but thanks for playing our game).
"Why don't you tie a kerosene-soaked rag around your ankles so the ants won't climb up and eat your candy ass..." - Dale Earnhardt, 1997
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"...the staggering layers of obscenity in your statement make it a work of art on so many levels." - Jason Jystad, 10/26/2001John, would you please tell Tim what he's won as a participants prize for playing "Can You Write Better Than A Second Grader" today?
¡El diablo está en mis pantalones! ¡Mire, mire! Real Mentats use only 100% pure, unfooled around with Sapho Juice(tm)! SELECT * FROM User WHERE Clue > 0 0 rows returned Save an Orange - Use the VCF! VCF Blog
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ProgramX installing. Joe Smith types a message.
:laugh: :laugh: :laugh: Is this the new Ebonics?
"A Journey of a Thousand Rest Stops Begins with a Single Movement"
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Tim Schwallie wrote:
ProgramX installing.
Technically, the program itself is being installed - it is not installing itself. Strike 1.
Tim Schwallie wrote:
Joe Smith types a message.
Your version is wrong. It is technically correc t to say that so-and-so is typing a message. Strike 2. You're a moron. Strike 3 (but thanks for playing our game).
"Why don't you tie a kerosene-soaked rag around your ankles so the ants won't climb up and eat your candy ass..." - Dale Earnhardt, 1997
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"...the staggering layers of obscenity in your statement make it a work of art on so many levels." - Jason Jystad, 10/26/2001and I take it you still write Joey is running like a moron. Yes, the sentence is technically correct. Though, I learned in the age where 'to-be' verb usage faced a docking in points on papers. And so the usage of 'to-be' verbs became instilled as an indicator for a lack of intelligence in the minds of many. Since you like baseball, I just moved to first base cause the first base umpire called a balk.
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Let's see....the MS Installer displays the following during installation, "Program X is being installed." Sorry folks, in my English classes, all my teachers would have put a big red mark around that one. MS Communicator tells us politely, "Joe Smith is typing a message." Not a chance. Whomever writes these programs, please learn English above the second grade level.
Tim Schwallie wrote:
"Program X is being installed."
Umm theres nothing wrong with that phrase...
Mark Brock "We're definitely not going to make a G or a PG version of this. It's not PillowfightCraft." -- Chris Metzen Click here to view my blog
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Nonsense. The so-called "laws of grammar" were not handed to us on tablets of stone by a fearsome God, but were the somewhat arbitrary musings of a bunch of Victorian academics who had nothing better to do and who, IMHO, had no right to dictate to anyone what "proper" Englsih is. English, like all languages, is in constant flux and evolution, and why anyone thinks it good, proper or wise to try and fix it in aspic as it was spoken over a hundred years ago is beyond me. There is absolutely nothing wrong with either example. And I am far from convinced about your use of "Whomever"...
yep....nothing wrong with it. I just hate 'to-be' verbs used so loosely. Regarding "Whomever",,,,always mess that one up...so I let the fingers type what they feel like. "Whomever...Whoever...Whatever..." :) now where's the spell checker?
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:laugh: :laugh: :laugh: Is this the new Ebonics?
"A Journey of a Thousand Rest Stops Begins with a Single Movement"
yes MS is being insulting your'uh intelligence.
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ProgramX installing. Joe Smith types a message.
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Tim Schwallie wrote:
"Program X is being installed."
Umm theres nothing wrong with that phrase...
Mark Brock "We're definitely not going to make a G or a PG version of this. It's not PillowfightCraft." -- Chris Metzen Click here to view my blog
correct, nothing wrong with it..."to-be" verbs didn't sit well with me. and so staying in context of installation: Program X installer currently installing Program X seemed like a pain so I could handle: ProgramX installing... and so on....so goes the rant.
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Let's see....the MS Installer displays the following during installation, "Program X is being installed." Sorry folks, in my English classes, all my teachers would have put a big red mark around that one. MS Communicator tells us politely, "Joe Smith is typing a message." Not a chance. Whomever writes these programs, please learn English above the second grade level.
There's nothing wrong with either, they're both answers to questions in the present tense: Q. "What is ProgramX doing?" A. "ProgramX is installing." Q. "What is Joe Smith doing?" A. "Joe Smith is typing a message."
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There's nothing wrong with either, they're both answers to questions in the present tense: Q. "What is ProgramX doing?" A. "ProgramX is installing." Q. "What is Joe Smith doing?" A. "Joe Smith is typing a message."
yep nothing wrong. Here's the rant: What is Joe Smith doing outside? MS would write the answer as: Joe Smith is running. I had teachers who would drill not to use 'to-be' verbs. Hence, they would say to write: Joe Smith runs. Of course this would prepare us for writing more complex sentences like: Joe Smith runs with the dog. Instead of the MS way: Joe Smith is running with the dog. And now I is growing tired of this rant. :zzz:
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yep nothing wrong. Here's the rant: What is Joe Smith doing outside? MS would write the answer as: Joe Smith is running. I had teachers who would drill not to use 'to-be' verbs. Hence, they would say to write: Joe Smith runs. Of course this would prepare us for writing more complex sentences like: Joe Smith runs with the dog. Instead of the MS way: Joe Smith is running with the dog. And now I is growing tired of this rant. :zzz:
Tim You're from the United States, right? Native speaker? Two tenses Joe Smith runs = he usually runs, running is his thing. He may not be running right now. Joe Smith is running = yep, there he goes. Cheers -Marcus
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Let's see....the MS Installer displays the following during installation, "Program X is being installed." Sorry folks, in my English classes, all my teachers would have put a big red mark around that one. MS Communicator tells us politely, "Joe Smith is typing a message." Not a chance. Whomever writes these programs, please learn English above the second grade level.
I hate to burst your bubble, shake your faith, or what have you.... English is a living language and especially in respect to the digital age. It is also not correct to xerox a paper, or google a phrase. xerox and google are nouns not verbs. My 2nd wife gave me hell over "re-entrantcy" but it is a valid property for parallel code. We also Mc-ify our words. Common usage matters more than perfect English. My English teacher hated "won't" -- but because it is used, it is correct, because all of our language is drifting. I speak a basterdized version of American English which is 90 some percent "pure" and less than 10 percent localized common usage. Some of that common usage is southwest US with Texan and Mexican influences and some of that is technobabble geek-speak. Common usage language is aimed at the 7th grade or lower English level. What do you expect? the majority of your user base of most software has a McJob and probably finished school and promptly forgot everything. That is the purrpose of school right? now back to making re-entrant code. :) :)
_________________________ Asu no koto o ieba, tenjo de nezumi ga warau. Talk about things of tomorrow and the mice in the ceiling laugh. (Japanese Proverb) John Andrew Holmes "It is well to remember that the entire universe, with one trifling exception, is composed of others."
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Tim You're from the United States, right? Native speaker? Two tenses Joe Smith runs = he usually runs, running is his thing. He may not be running right now. Joe Smith is running = yep, there he goes. Cheers -Marcus
Marcus Idle? Idle is right! Member since: Tuesday, October 15, 2002 (5 years, 11 months) Article count: 0 Post count: 1 I call shenanigans! And Cylon!
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yep nothing wrong. Here's the rant: What is Joe Smith doing outside? MS would write the answer as: Joe Smith is running. I had teachers who would drill not to use 'to-be' verbs. Hence, they would say to write: Joe Smith runs. Of course this would prepare us for writing more complex sentences like: Joe Smith runs with the dog. Instead of the MS way: Joe Smith is running with the dog. And now I is growing tired of this rant. :zzz:
What colour is the dog?
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Marcus Idle? Idle is right! Member since: Tuesday, October 15, 2002 (5 years, 11 months) Article count: 0 Post count: 1 I call shenanigans! And Cylon!
OK, so I dip into codeproject now and then, and I don't post a lot (at all). If that's against the law, OK, sue me! Life's busy! But hey, this is my second post today! OK, I'll put an article up before Christmas! I promise!
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correct, nothing wrong with it..."to-be" verbs didn't sit well with me. and so staying in context of installation: Program X installer currently installing Program X seemed like a pain so I could handle: ProgramX installing... and so on....so goes the rant.
Which means something entirely different.
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Marcus Idle? Idle is right! Member since: Tuesday, October 15, 2002 (5 years, 11 months) Article count: 0 Post count: 1 I call shenanigans! And Cylon!
And I'm a real person, honest!
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And I'm a real person, honest!
That what you were bound to say ;)
