On Tue, Feb 22, 2005 at 03:31:22AM +0000, MJ Ray wrote:
> Joel Aelwyn <fenton@debian.org> wrote: [...]
> > "You may not have any cookies right now".
> >
> > It's a reflexive negation rewording of "May I <x>" -> "You may not <x>".
> [snip]
>
> Well, that's fine, but if I don't need your permission in order
> to have cookies, it's sort of irrelevant. Also, it doesn't
> actually require any action from me to achieve that state
> of not having your permission to have cookies and make your
> statement true.
>
> This is a head-strainer and I'm not surprised that anyone is
> unfamiliar with it. It's related to old jokes that my school
> teachers used to use: "Can I leave the room?" "Not without my
> permission." A bit twisted, maybe, but it teaches.
Yes; my impression is that it is likely that this is badly written in the
same way that it is quite common for people to ask "Can I?" instead of "May
I?". Thank goodness nobody tried to use "shall" / "will" or "who" / "whom".
> As I wrote earlier, legal interpretation of this sort of
> phrase needs someone other than me and if anyone is worried,
> please go ask PHP Group about it (if PHP Group is bothering
> to accept email yet) and maybe get blanket "PHP for ..."
> approval.
Indeed, it seems like the standard fallback of "ask for a clarification" is
in order. Gotta love TMDA systems, really.
--
Joel Aelwyn <fenton@debian.org> ,''`.
: :' :
`. `'
`-
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