Red Hat Bugzilla – Bug 228508
Hash terminology
Last modified: 2013-10-20 18:05:20 EDT
Description of problem: Chapter 1 page two (section 1.3) the hash sign (#) is referred to as a pound sign. This is the only instance in this document, but I expect it applies to many other documents too, as it's a mistake I've often seen. I expect that it's done in a kind attempt to make things easier for UK keyboard users, but in fact the UK keyboard *has* a hash on it - it's just on a different key, and the pound (£) sign (which is of course completely different) just happens to be a shifted (3), where you'd expect to find a hash symbol on a US keyboard. Telling a UK user to use a pound sign actually risks greater confusion. Version-Release number of selected component (if applicable): How reproducible: Steps to Reproduce: 1. 2. 3. Actual results: Expected results: Additional info:
assigning this to jha@redhat.com
Pound is the defacto standard in en-US telecomunications. However in an effort to communicate effectively I have added "(or hash)" to the line for en-UK readers. Marking as Modified for the next build. - Mike
Removing automation notification
Michael. I didn't know about the defacto standard. Are you sure? I've observed that the hash sign is referred to as a pound sign in a lot of Red Hat documentation, but this is the first time (in a long career) that I've come across it. I don't know how it could become such a standard. I know that Americans use the sign as a abbreviation for "number", and I've always presumed that they refer to it in speech as either "number" or "hash". As far as I know it's never, ever, had anything to do with pounds, except for the circumstance that UK typewriters traditionally had their pound sign (the real pound sign) above the digit "3", which is where US keyboards have the hash sign. It was of course rare until the eighties for UK typewriters to have a hash symbol at all. I can't change the entire culture of Red Hat, but I would encourage you at least to leave out entirely the reference to "pound" in UK documentation. UK readers know what a pound sign is, and it's not what you Yanks say it is:) As a direct analogy to imagine what it's like to a UK reader, try thinking how confused you would be if I referred to # as a dollar sign. Peter Davey
Re-assigning to new component owner.
http://www.redhat.com/docs/manuals/enterprise/RHEL-4-Manual/en-US/System_Administration_Guide_/Kickstart_Installations-Creating_the_Kickstart_File.html
IMHO, the definition of both terms in this section is sufficient to cover any future confusion.
In reference to comment #8 "Lines starting with a pound (or hash) sign (#) are treated as comments and are ignored."