Path: csiph.com!x330-a1.tempe.blueboxinc.net!usenet.pasdenom.info!news.albasani.net!newsfeed.freenet.ag!news2.euro.net!newsgate.cistron.nl!newsgate.news.xs4all.nl!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 0.002 X-Spam-Evidence: '*H*': 1.00; '*S*': 0.00; '(at': 0.03; ':-)': 0.06; 'subject:process': 0.07; 'brilliant': 0.09; 'derived': 0.09; 'from:addr:ethan': 0.09; 'from:addr:stoneleaf.us': 0.09; 'from:name:ethan furman': 0.09; 'message-id:@stoneleaf.us': 0.09; 'naturally': 0.09; 'received:gator410.hostgator.com': 0.09; '~ethan~': 0.09; 'subject:file': 0.13; 'wrote:': 0.15; 'beam': 0.16; 'cousin': 0.16; 'said.': 0.16; 'shouting': 0.16; 'uppercase': 0.16; "hasn't": 0.16; '>>>': 0.16; 'programming': 0.18; 'comment:': 0.19; 'slightly': 0.19; 'seems': 0.20; "doesn't": 0.22; 'header:In-Reply-To:1': 0.22; 'emphasis': 0.23; 'english,': 0.23; 'subject:HELP': 0.25; '(the': 0.28; 'fri,': 0.28; 'alternatives': 0.29; 'universal': 0.29; 'so-called': 0.30; 'least': 0.31; 'chris': 0.32; 'technical': 0.33; 'header:User- Agent:1': 0.34; 'light': 0.34; 'regardless': 0.34; 'to:addr :python-list': 0.34; 'rule': 0.34; 'quite': 0.34; 'probably': 0.35; 'subject:text': 0.35; 'charset:us-ascii': 0.36; 'languages': 0.37; 'but': 0.37; 'steven': 0.38; 'subject:: ': 0.38; 'to:addr:python.org': 0.39; 'case': 0.40; 'capital': 0.61; 'medium': 0.62; 'lower': 0.64; 'computers': 0.65; 'received:websitewelcome.com': 0.65; 'jun': 0.67; 'received:184': 0.67; 'received:69.56': 0.73; 'complex,': 0.84; 'face,': 0.84; 'imagination': 0.84; 'loudly': 0.84; 'bold': 0.91; 'plain-text': 0.91 Date: Fri, 24 Jun 2011 19:50:05 -0700 From: Ethan Furman User-Agent: Thunderbird 2.0.0.24 (Windows/20100228) MIME-Version: 1.0 To: python-list@python.org Subject: Re: NEED HELP-process words in a text file References: <4e05210e$0$29975$c3e8da3$5496439d@news.astraweb.com> In-Reply-To: <4e05210e$0$29975$c3e8da3$5496439d@news.astraweb.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii; format=flowed Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-AntiAbuse: This header was added to track abuse, please include it with any abuse report X-AntiAbuse: Primary Hostname - gator410.hostgator.com X-AntiAbuse: Original Domain - python.org X-AntiAbuse: Originator/Caller UID/GID - [47 12] / [47 12] X-AntiAbuse: Sender Address Domain - stoneleaf.us X-BWhitelist: no X-Source: X-Source-Args: X-Source-Dir: X-Source-Sender: c-67-170-168-84.hsd1.or.comcast.net ([192.168.74.5]) [67.170.168.84]:2208 X-Source-Auth: ethan+stoneleaf.us X-Email-Count: 1 X-Source-Cap: dG9idWs7dG9idWs7Z2F0b3I0MTAuaG9zdGdhdG9yLmNvbQ== 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: 37 NNTP-Posting-Host: 82.94.164.166 X-Trace: 1308970256 news.xs4all.nl 510 [::ffff:82.94.164.166]:47921 X-Complaints-To: abuse@xs4all.nl Xref: x330-a1.tempe.blueboxinc.net comp.lang.python:8428 Steven D'Aprano wrote: > On Fri, 24 Jun 2011 19:17:29 +0000, Cousin Stanley wrote: > >> Chris Rebert wrote: >> >>> Netiquette comment: Please avoid SHOUTING .... >> The brilliant beam of light that first thought capitilized words >> amounted to shouting never programmed cobol, fortran, or pl/1 in the >> 1960s or 1970s .... :-) > > That's probably because the use of capitalisation for emphasis pre-dates > the invention of computers by centuries. It is hardly an accident that > the technical term for uppercase is derived from the same root as > "majestic" and "major". > > The history of so-called "minuscule" and "majuscule" letters is complex, > and it hasn't been a universal rule that Capital Letters have ALWAYS been > read as emphatic, but it has been true for hundreds of years (at least > for languages that have capital letters). > > Not the ONLY form of emphasis, of course (underlining, bold face, italics > and l e t t e r - s p a c i n g are only a few of the other > alternatives available), but in a plain-text medium with little control > over the display of font, the use of lower and UPPER case letters is one > of the few alternatives available. (The use of *markup* seems to have > been a late invention in English, although in other languages it has been > used much longer.) > > If ONE word in uppercase is read in a SLIGHTLY louder voice, then > naturally it doesn't take much imagination TO READ EVEN QUITE SHORT > PASSAGES OF UNINTERRUPTED UPPERCASE WORDS AS SHOUTING LOUDLY -- > regardless of the poor design of programming languages in the 60s and 70s. Well said. :) ~Ethan~