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Re: newbie install



On Sat, Feb 21, 2009 at 10:19:33AM -0800, Gary Johnson wrote:
> On 2009-02-21, Chris Bannister <mockingbird@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> > On Mon, Feb 16, 2009 at 11:55:00AM -0500, Noah Sheppard wrote:
> > > On Mon, Feb 16, 2009 at 10:44:45AM -0600, Kyle Wheeler wrote:
> > > > [..]
> > > > Of course, now we're getting into pedantry, and kinda off track. :)
> > > 
> > > We are computer geeks; pedantry is never off-track.
> >                                            ^^^^^^^^^
> > No need for the hyphen; you are not splitting a word.
> 
> Hyphens are not used only for splitting words; they are also used
> for joining words to form compounds, as when forming a single
> adjective as in "ten-foot pole" or "off-track pedantry".  In the

But "tenfoot" is not a word. I don't see any ambiguity in "ten foot
pole", in fact "ten-foot pole" looks weird and possibly insulting to the
reader. 

According to my dictionary:

hyphen. 1. n. Sign (-) used to join two words or divide a word into
parts (e.g. man-trap, re-echo).
        2. v.t. Join, divide, with h.

but hyphenated is a U.S. term:

hyphenated (U.S.), hyphened. (hyphenated Americans. German-Americans,
Irish-Americans, &c).
[Gk = under one]

-- 
Chris.
======
I contend that we are both atheists. I just believe in one fewer god
than you do. When you understand why you dismiss all the other
possible gods, you will understand why I dismiss yours.
                                           -- Stephen F Roberts