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*500 Lines or Fewer https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fewer_vs._less https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fewer_vs._less
by archos1 10y ago
*500 Lines or Fewer
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fewer_vs._less https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fewer_vs._less
- arsenerei 10y agoFrom your reference. > However, descriptive grammarians (who describe language as actually used) point out that this rule does not correctly describe the most common usage of today or the past and in fact arose as an incorrect generalization of a personal preference expressed by a grammarian in 1770. > Many supermarket checkout line signs, for instance, will read "10 items or less"; others, however, will use fewer in an attempt to conform to what is incorrectly perceived as required by the prescription although this is in fact a clear case of hypercorrection as explained in Pocket Fowler’s Modern English Usage. > Less has always been used in English with counting nouns. Indeed, the application of the distinction between less and fewer as a rule is a phenomenon originating in the 18th century.
- deleted 10y ago[deleted]
- jimminy 10y agoIt's still valid using less, though we could pedantically argue senantics. Lines of code is often used as a term of expense, or expressing a form of cost associated with technical debt. In that context, saying, "500 Lines or Less", is similar to "$50 or less".
- dexterdog 10y agoIs there any other way to argue semantics?
- Bromskloss 10y agoI guess "less" makes sense if you're talking about the amount of code, rather than about the number of lines.
- deleted 10y ago[deleted]
- curiousgal 10y agoThe 'Fewer' has the advantage of being grammatically correct, but it loses the pleasant alliteration :) This is a working title; we'll use this input at late-binding when we finalize what we're going to call this. https://github.com/aosabook/500lines/issues/55 https://github.com/aosabook/500lines/issues/55
- thomasahle 10y agoJust "500 Lines" also sounds better.
- dmolony 10y agoOr even '500 lines, max'.