Re: [PATCH v4 1/2] system_data_types.7: Add 'void *'

[Alejandro Colomar]

Hi Michael and Branden,

On 2020-10-03 09:48, G. Branden Robinson wrote:
> At 2020-10-03T09:10:14+0200, Michael Kerrisk (man-pages) wrote:
> > On 10/2/20 10:27 PM, Alejandro Colomar wrote:
> > > On 2020-10-02 22:14, Paul Eggert wrote:
> > >   > On 10/2/20 11:38 AM, Alejandro Colomar wrote:
> > >   >
> > >   >> .I void *
> > >   >>
> > >   >> renders with a space in between.
> > >   >
> > >   > That's odd, as "man(7)" says "All of the arguments will be
> > >   > printed next to each other without intervening spaces". I'd play
> > >   > it safe and quote the arg anyway.
> > >
> > > Oops, that's a bug in man(7).  Don't worry about it.
> >
> > I'm not sure where that text in man(7) comes from. However, for
> > clarity I would normally also use quotes in this case.

Hi Michael and Branden,

Here is the offending line:

https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/docs/man-pages/man-pages.git/tree/man7/man.7#n172

Thanks,

Alex

> > > Michael, you might want to have a look at it.
> > >
> > > I'll also add Branden, who might have something to say about it.
> >
> > Yes, maybe Branden can add some insight.
>
> The "short" answer[1] is that I think Alex is correct; Paul's caution is
> unwarranted and arises from confusion with the font alternation macros
> of the man(7) macro package.  Examples of the latter are .BI and .BR.
> Those set their even-numbered arguments in one font and odd-numbered
> arguments in another, with no space between them.  That suppression of
> space is the reason they exist.  With the "single-font" macros like .B
> and .I[2], if you don't want space, don't type it.
>
> I could say more, including an annotated explanation of the groff and
> Version 7 Unix man(7) implementations of the I macro, if desired.  :)
>
> Regards,
> Branden
>
> [1] since as everyone knows, I struggle with brevity
> [2] I (and others) discourage use of .SM and .SB because they can't be
> distinguished from ordinary roman and bold type, respectively, on
> terminals.