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Re: RFC 2119 terms, ALL CAPS vs lower case

Dave Crocker <dhc@dcrocker.net> Wed, 16 May 2012 14:54 UTC

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Date: Wed, 16 May 2012 07:54:13 -0700
From: Dave Crocker <dhc@dcrocker.net>
Organization: Brandenburg InternetWorking
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To: Randy Bush <randy@psg.com>
Subject: Re: RFC 2119 terms, ALL CAPS vs lower case
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On 5/16/2012 7:39 AM, Randy Bush wrote:
>>     The key words "MUST", "MUST NOT", "REQUIRED", "SHALL", "SHALL NOT",
>>     "SHOULD", "SHOULD NOT", "RECOMMENDED", "MAY", and "OPTIONAL" in this
>>     document are to be interpreted as described in [RFC2119] when they
>>     appear in ALL CAPS.  These words may also appear in this document in
>>     lower case as plain English words, absent their normative meanings.
>
> i like this a lot


So do I.  Rather than attend to likely misinterpretation by average 
readers, it relieves us from responsibilities for misunderstandings due 
to our choosing not to conform to normal language usage.

Making an artificial, formal distinction is far more productive than 
worrying about characteristics of typical readers.

d/

-- 
  Dave Crocker
  Brandenburg InternetWorking
  bbiw.net

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