Re: About /dev/sr impatience with automatic tray loading
mick crane wrote:
> On 2018-12-10 20:02, Thomas Schmitt wrote:
> > For the purpose of sr_drive_status(), the loop is really inappropriate.
> > This function shall obtain the drive status and not wait until the
> > status of the medium is decided.
> >
> completely off the topic but I have noticed that people whose first language
> might not be english use
> "shall" as apposed to "will" or "should". It seems a little bit old
> fashioned but maybe it isn't.
The English use it more than Americans do.
"Shall" has a connotation of ordering future action. Americans
nearly always prefer "should".
"Will" is a prediction of future action.
"Should" is a desire for future action, with an acknowledgment
that it might not go that way. In a question, it asks for
advice on desirability.
"May" is a speculation on future action, with less certainty and
less imputed desire. In a question it asks for permission.
"Can" is a description of a possible future action, and
sometimes carries the connotation that the action is
appropriate. Americans like to use this instead of "may", but
they generally know that "may" is permission and "can" is
capability.
"Might" is either used to request permission or to describe a
low-probability future action. Americans rarely use this this
in question form.
-dsr- (American/British hybrid)
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