Bug#555978: debian-policy: Forbid duplicate fields in control files

[Emilio Pozuelo Monfort <pochu@debian.org>]

On 12/06/10 11:18, Charles Plessy wrote:
> as a non-native speaker, I have difficulties with the use of 'may' in your
> patch: if fields may be unique, they also may be not unique, so what is the
> message in this sentence? It does not give me the impression that the goal
> is to discourage the use of the same field name twice in the same paragraph.

See http://legal-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/May

"2) in statutes, and sometimes in contracts, the word "may" must be read in
context to determine if it means an act is optional or mandatory, for it may be
an imperative."

You ought to read it as "must" in this context.

Not a native speaker either, so I may be mistaken :)

Cheers,
Emilio