4 ms·

I wonder, are issues like these easier to manage with sentences structured like: “Number of foos scanned: 1”, or “Number of foo/bar scanned: 3/10”? I know it a

I wonder, are issues like these easier to manage with sentences structured like: “Number of foos scanned: 1”, or “Number of foo/bar scanned: 3/10”? I know it at least makes the plural issue go away for English (as both 1/2 work with a colon).

kingofhdds 8y ago
This is a popular trick, but it doesn't work well with more than one parameter, and reads unnatural in many languages anyway.
- ncmncm 8y ago
  It is equally unnatural in all languages, therefore the best possible solution. It is worse than many impossible solutions, but they are, you know, impossible. And, people have become used to it, so for younger people it seems perfectly normal; and everybody who hates it either doesn't use computers, or will die soon enough. Since it does not actually hasten their death (or deaths -- a fine point), it is the clear winner.
  - kingofhdds 8y ago
    >It is equally unnatural in all languages, therefore the best possible solution. I don't see what logic connects statements before, and after "therefore", sorry.
    - ncmncm 8y ago
      Emphasis is on the word "possible". Once you rule out all the impossible solutions, the solitary one that remains is definitively the best.
      - kingofhdds 8y ago
        Other solutions do exist, and it certainly means they are possible. There are likely solutions which not yet written in code, but possible anyway.