Thread: i.e. and e.g. used with incorrect meaning

i.e. and e.g. used with incorrect meaning

From
PG Doc comments form
Date:
The following documentation comment has been logged on the website:

Page: https://www.postgresql.org/docs/13/ssh-tunnels.html
Description:

You're gonna hate this -- a grammar nit pick.
But for the few of us who know what e.g. and i.e. mean, the wrong one is
confusing.

e.g. = exempli gratia = for example.
i.e. = id est = that is.

"that is" implies that there's no other option.
"for example" implies that there are other options.

So in the following text, they seem to be the wrong way round:

"The name or IP address after this is the remote bind address you are
connecting to, i.e., localhost, which is the default. The second number,
5432, is the remote end of the tunnel, e.g., the port number your database
server is using."

Re: i.e. and e.g. used with incorrect meaning

From
Bruce Momjian
Date:
On Thu, Jan 14, 2021 at 01:15:41PM +0000, PG Doc comments form wrote:
> The following documentation comment has been logged on the website:
> 
> Page: https://www.postgresql.org/docs/13/ssh-tunnels.html
> Description:
> 
> You're gonna hate this -- a grammar nit pick.
> But for the few of us who know what e.g. and i.e. mean, the wrong one is
> confusing.
> 
> e.g. = exempli gratia = for example.
> i.e. = id est = that is.
> 
> "that is" implies that there's no other option.
> "for example" implies that there are other options.

I wrote this text in this commit:

    commit 472e518a44
    Author: Bruce Momjian <bruce@momjian.us>
    Date:   Fri Oct 2 21:39:33 2020 -0400
    
        doc:  clarify the use of ssh port forwarding
    
        Reported-by: karimelghazouly@gmail.com
    
        Discussion: https://postgr.es/m/159854511172.24991.4373145230066586863@wrigleys.postgresql.org
    
        Backpatch-through: 9.5

> So in the following text, they seem to be the wrong way round:
> 
> "The name or IP address after this is the remote bind address you are
> connecting to, i.e., localhost, which is the default. The second number,

I think you are right that this should be e.g..  I used i.e. because I
thought it was odd to have the "which is the default" text after the
example text, since it might not make sense.  I will change it to:

    "The name or IP address after this is the remote bind address
    you are connecting to, i.e., localhost (the default).

> 5432, is the remote end of the tunnel, e.g., the port number your database
> server is using."

I think the above is correct, since "the port number your database
server is using" is an example, not a rephrasing of the earlier part of
the sentence.

-- 
  Bruce Momjian  <bruce@momjian.us>        https://momjian.us
  EnterpriseDB                             https://enterprisedb.com

  The usefulness of a cup is in its emptiness, Bruce Lee