Re: weird \s

[Dave Kemper]

On 3/31/20, Tadziu Hoffmann <address@hidden> wrote:
> If you want clarity, choose the modern syntax: \s[40].
> (By the way, groff also allows \s'40'.)

Yes, that's my first point: anyone interested in writing clear source
should already be doing this.

My second point is about the language design.  To users writing
documents in 2020 and beyond, \s39 being parsed differntly from \s40
serves no purpose and only trips up unwary users (and even wary ones
like Doug).  The more syntactical traps lurking in the design of the
language, the less appealing it becomes to potential new users, who
will ultimately either form its future user base, or abandon it for
something with fewer potholes.