Re: string-length example

I like to think that lawyers, even in the USA, would be well-enough 
educated to know the source of the quotation.

If it is our goal to say nothing offensive to anyone, then we might as well 
say nothing.

I'm sorry if you are personally offended, or if you are concerned that 
somebody else might be offended, by the use of a quotation from 
Shakespeare.  But I do not think it is unreasonable for us to use it.  How 
many other sample pieces of text should be accompanied by references?  Only 
the ones you think might be offensive, or the ones that I think might be 
offensive, or...?  And should the reference be Normative or not?

Feeling that this is a strange conversation,
    Jim

At 11:05 AM 9/8/2003 +0200 Monday, Tobias Reif wrote:

>Kay, Michael wrote:
> > Shakespeare of course was violent and offensive,
>
>It that what qualifies this sentence as example for your spec? I'm sure 
>you'll find many more violent and offensive sentences then, good luck.
>
>Shakespeare wrote the sentence as part of some play or fictional story. 
>How does that justify putting it into a technical specification, without 
>context or source?
>
>It sure reflects thoughtlessness to copy "first we kill the lawyers" into 
>the spec and justify this by saying it was written by some well-known writer.
>
>There's an endless list of sentences which were written by famous people 
>which, when taken out of context, are inappropriate and offensive in their 
>new contexts. I'm not sure how that's surprising or why it would be 
>desirable to do.
>
> > but they allowed freedom of speech in his day.
>
>Of course you are free to say what you want, but you must be aware that 
>copying such a sentence without context and without providing the source 
>may be seen as highly offensive by many, especially by lawyers.
>
>I didn't say you would not have freedom of speech.
>
>I would be ashamed to refer a lawyer (who might be my client in an XSLT 
>project) to this draft spec, and I would not do so.
>
>Instead of accusing me of trying to limit your freedom of speech, it would 
>be much more productive to explain why you think the example should remain 
>in the spec, and if it should remain then add a pointer to the source of 
>the quote to the spec.
>
>Tobi
>
>--
>http://www.pinkjuice.com/
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>

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Jim Melton --- Editor of ISO/IEC 9075-* (SQL)     Phone: +1.801.942.0144
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Received on Monday, 8 September 2003 20:16:02 UTC