Re: [PATCH] Change "the empty string" to "an empty string" on DOCs - Mailing list pgsql-hackers

From Andreas Karlsson
Subject Re: [PATCH] Change "the empty string" to "an empty string" on DOCs
Date
Msg-id 06078bfc-b1dc-4f45-a9a5-b9389d816494@proxel.se
Whole thread Raw
In response to [PATCH] Change "the empty string" to "an empty string" on DOCs  (Marcos Pegoraro <marcos@f10.com.br>)
Responses Re: [PATCH] Change "the empty string" to "an empty string" on DOCs
List pgsql-hackers
On 1/6/26 7:53 PM, Marcos Pegoraro wrote:
> There are 64 times of "an empty string" and 13 times "the empty string" 
> written on DOCs, and how they are used to do the same meaning, we could 
> standardize them.
I am not a native speaker but to me "the empty string" sounds better in 
most cases you changed it. I have no idea why but for default values I 
personally prefer "the empty string" while for return values I prefer 
"an empty string". Human languages are weird. E.g:

"Note that PQgetvalue() will return an empty string, not a null pointer, 
for a null field."

vs

"If this variable is set to the empty string (which is the default) then 
the value is inherited from the execution environment of the server in a 
system-dependent way."

Maybe a native speaker can chime in with an opinion but I do not think 
these are worth changing.

Andreas




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