Re: Why is the name of this list not plural ?
Greg Folkert wrote:
On Sat, 2005-03-26 at 18:03 +0100, Bob Alexander wrote:
Is this a FAQ ? :)
I would have found more natural to call this list debian-userS so that
when I write to it I know I am writing to more than one single lonely
sociopath debian user :)
perhaps it is because debian users are so sophisticated that using
synecdoche is preferred for naming.
a stretch perhaps...
:)
I think it makes sense because it a list for user interests.
It is not a social networking vehicle explicitly.
Also it makes the naming of all the lists consistent.
Singular-izing membership is not uncommon in English when you think
about it. I will now embarrass myself with some examples.
Biker Bar, Gay Bar, Hipster Hangout...
Is it A Catholic Church because it is part of The Catholic Church or
because Catholics attend there?
A Boy Scout Den, not a Boy Scouts' Den.
a hen house or chicken coop, not a hens' house etc.
duck pond, not ducks' pond
truck stop, not a truckers' stop
I guess it is about the name being descriptive and not possessive.
debian-users would imply a list of users, but it isn't, it is a list of
user topics.
now whether the collective mind of debian users is sociopathic is
something else to ponder.
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