Path: csiph.com!x330-a1.tempe.blueboxinc.net!usenet.pasdenom.info!selfless.tophat.at!newsfeed.xs4all.nl!newsfeed6.news.xs4all.nl!xs4all!post.news.xs4all.nl!not-for-mail Return-Path: X-Original-To: python-list@python.org Delivered-To: python-list@mail.python.org X-Spam-Status: OK 0.005 X-Spam-Evidence: '*H*': 0.99; '*S*': 0.00; 'plenty': 0.04; 'wed,': 0.04; 'option,': 0.07; 'folder,': 0.09; 'tracing': 0.09; 'unix,': 0.09; 'files.': 0.10; 'linux': 0.11; 'am,': 0.14; 'wrote:': 0.14; '8:26': 0.16; 'ignore': 0.16; 'describes': 0.19; 'header:In-Reply- To:1': 0.22; 'lee': 0.22; 'archiving': 0.23; 'documented': 0.23; 'expense': 0.23; 'received:209.85.214.174': 0.23; 'received:mail- iw0-f174.google.com': 0.23; 'equivalent': 0.26; 'windows': 0.26; 'chris': 0.27; 'message-id:@mail.gmail.com': 0.28; 'changes': 0.29; 'whereas': 0.31; 'second': 0.31; 'to:addr:python-list': 0.32; 'option': 0.33; 'things': 0.33; 'uses': 0.34; 'using': 0.34; 'clearly': 0.34; 'quite': 0.36; 'folder': 0.36; 'think': 0.36; 'received:209.85': 0.37; 'received:google.com': 0.38; 'files': 0.38; 'listed': 0.39; 'received:209.85.214': 0.39; 'to:addr:python.org': 0.39; 'received:209': 0.39; '8bit%:8': 0.39; 'include': 0.40; 'would': 0.40; "it's": 0.40; 'header:Received:5': 0.40; 'choice.': 0.60; 'charset:windows-1252': 0.61; '2011': 0.62; 'alternative': 0.69; 'jargon.': 0.84; 'subject:English': 0.91 DKIM-Signature: v=1; a=rsa-sha256; c=relaxed/relaxed; d=gmail.com; s=gamma; h=domainkey-signature:mime-version:in-reply-to:references:date :message-id:subject:from:to:content-type:content-transfer-encoding; bh=NHoLzNw/I+QTwbx7P0U4oGIdr3mUhi1nM+8aTMlJJeI=; b=pF2c2m7G8oCu4yair7Weeuc/nCUSURKhd8OtgpWqBVVkpOR4S/u8R7QBuGziVGyj5a /fPYEcPWOvXqcA91XgYsn/tpKgaA0Z4Gp/JLugHhWtwuwmDP8WaGN40Mc0lL+mUfWlyD 9JVpPav3IzQrhDb2QjMPp6Q4O/GQD+kItOTsw= DomainKey-Signature: a=rsa-sha1; c=nofws; d=gmail.com; s=gamma; h=mime-version:in-reply-to:references:date:message-id:subject:from:to :content-type:content-transfer-encoding; b=EQm8cuT08LzmMgL3edS4PWGsl5Q4azjbQ0SrLbS66ZQdGUoBspHdkE3oArszDp47PQ TFnkgmpmp7ZXSfKLeYvKCVgVhnLmgZeVa0iui9RBNcFOweN4boZeA4S5qCIi6syV3NcC jMEVmHQZjlzzIzoF8r5DV2tshMyK25P7FtWj4= MIME-Version: 1.0 In-Reply-To: References: Date: Wed, 18 May 2011 09:42:54 +1000 Subject: Re: English Idiom in Unix: Directory Recursively From: Chris Angelico To: python-list@python.org Content-Type: text/plain; charset=windows-1252 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable X-BeenThere: python-list@python.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.12 Precedence: list List-Id: General discussion list for the Python programming language List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , Newsgroups: comp.lang.python Message-ID: Lines: 22 NNTP-Posting-Host: 82.94.164.166 X-Trace: 1305675778 news.xs4all.nl 49038 [::ffff:82.94.164.166]:50722 X-Complaints-To: abuse@xs4all.nl Xref: x330-a1.tempe.blueboxinc.net comp.lang.python:5631 On Wed, May 18, 2011 at 8:26 AM, Xah Lee wrote: > =A0 =A0 =A0Apply changes to this folder only. > =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0Apply changes to this folder, subfolders and files. > > Note the second choice. In unix, it would say =93Apply changes to this > folder recursively.=94 I think this is more about the Windows and Mac philosophy to dumb things down at the expense of verbosity, than about Unix jargon. Archiving and compressing files using Phil Katz's PKZip utility uses the -r option to include all subdirectories; it's documented as "recurse subudirectories", which makes plenty of sense. (There's an equivalent utility from Info-ZIP in a lot of Linux distros, and it has the same option, listed as "recurse into directories".) Can you think of any other single word that clearly describes the action of tracing into all subdirectories? Even if it's not algorithmically accurate, it carries the meaning. The "mind-space" requirement is quite compact; you can ignore the "into subdirectories" part and just think "-r means recurse", whereas the alternative is "-r means files in this directory and all its subdirectories". Chris Angelico