[FFmpeg-devel] [VOTE] 1st/3rd person doxy

[Stefano Sabatini]

On date Friday 2010-07-09 10:46:52 +0200, Vladimir Pantelic encoded:
> Mike Melanson wrote:
> >On 07/08/2010 06:43 PM, Michael Niedermayer wrote:
> >> 5. add a 1st person perogative rule to policy
> >
> >Spelled "prerogative", believe it or not.
> >
> >> also there are 2 contradicting viewpoints, first being that it should be
> >> decided by our best english speakers and the second is that everyone
> >> has to work with the documentation and thus should decide.
> >> also theres the question if we need/want another rule or not
> >
> >What's wrong with the de facto policy of everyone adds documentation as
> >best they can and the native speakers clean it up after the fact?
> 
> which makes it proposal 7) and I vote for it

I don't consider this a valid solution. Problem is that is not clear
at all who should be considered an "English expert", as it is not
possible to clearly define who is a "C language expert".

Also the question is controversial enough so there is not a clearly
correct solution, I believe it's much about conventions and not about
clearly defined/definable argumentations, the same reason for which
someone might prefer:
foo = 42;
rather than:
foo= 42;

Indeed this is a question of *style* rather than of grammar:
http://java.sun.com/j2se/javadoc/writingdoccomments/index.html#styleguide

I vote for the impersonal form, as it's the form currently implemented
in FFmpeg, looks easier to write and seems it's the favored form by
many FFmpeg devs (Diego, Mans, Ronald, Alex). I may change idea if
someone can show technical argumentations (for example quoting the
position of an English professor).

If the issue is voted and the result will be against it, I won't mind
at all, but please let's stop to fight about the number of angels
contained in the tip of a needle.

Regards.
-- 
FFmpeg = Fantastic & Fast Moronic Powerful Enigmatic Generator