Linux documentation often uses the backquote or double backquote; e.g.,
`foo' ``bar"

Is this just a habit learned in lisp programming or ??

Thanks!
Roby

So anyway, it was like, 15:55 CET Feb 26 2004, you know? Oh, and, yeah,
Roby was all like, "Dude,

Typographic quirk, which I'm guessing is done to emulate the type of
quotes you see in printed media.

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On Thu, 26 Feb 2004 14:55:39 +0000, Roby wrote:


Geoff

On Thu, 26 Feb 2004 16:08:13 +0100, Johan Lindquist staggered into the
Black Sun and said:
It's probably a habit learned from TeX, where you write ` for a single
opening quote and `` for a double opening quote. Similarly, you write '
for a single closing quote and '' for a double closing quote. I don't
understand why documentation writers are forcing TeX conventions into
non-TeX environments, but there must be some reason.

--
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On Thu, 26 Feb 2004 14:55:39 GMT, Roby <nada@nada.net> wrote:

Dunno what docs you refer to, but in shell scripting the backquote means
"run this command and insert it's output here."


--
-| Bob Hauck
-| To Whom You Are Speaking
-| http://www.haucks.org/

Johan Lindquist <spam@smilfinken.net> wrote:
Actually, as far as I know it is used to *generate* the type of
quotes you see in printed media.

Most of that documentation is done with one or another (e.g.,
texinfo and docbook) of the systems which can produce output for
multiple targets such as Postscript, dvi, man, info, and even
plain text too. Hence, for the more capable output forms there
is a necessity to have distinctly different forward and backward
quotes. And in fact they are often produced for the advanced
forms by using doubled up single forward or backward ticks.
`` produces a genuine double opening quote, and '' produces a
genuine double closing quote when run through things like TeX.

Moreover, I think Emacs' tex-mode probably automatically generates
them. ``This line was done in latex-mode, and I actually typed in
a double quote at both the the beginning and at the end of this
sentence.'' ``texinfo-mode'' does the same thing. And so does
``plain-tex-mode''.

Unfortunately, they look ugly as sin to a lot of people, and
I'll admit to having an adverse reaction every time I look at
them... :-)

--
Floyd L. Davidson <http://web.newsguy.com/floyd_davidson>
Ukpeagvik (Barrow, Alaska) floyd@barrow.com

On Thu, 26 Feb 2004 14:55:39 +0000, Roby wrote:

It's a TeX thing.

--

David L. Johnson

__o | the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders.
_`\(,_ | That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being
(_)/ (_) | attacked, and denounce the peacemakers for lack of patriotism
and exposing the country to danger. It works the same in any
<country. -- Hermann Goering

So anyway, it was like, 16:44 CET Feb 26 2004, you know? Oh, and, yeah,
Floyd L. Davidson was all like, "Dude,
Yes, it would appear so, if you're using the proper typesetting tool
(read: LaTeX). I have to say it does look alittle silly when rendered
in plain text, however. Not that it bothers me. Much.

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envisioneer strategic ROI

So anyway, it was like, 16:26 CET Feb 26 2004, you know? Oh, and, yeah,
Dances With Crows was all like, "Dude,

Because they can?

--
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extend integrated action-items

After a long battle with technology, Bob Hauck <postmaster@localhost.localdomain>, an earthling, wrote:
It is _vastly_ more likely that the source of this 'convention' is the
use of TeX and LaTeX for document processing.
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