[Freeciv-Dev] Re: [PATCH] more small directional cleanups

[Raimar Falke <hawk@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

On Tue, Aug 21, 2001 at 12:33:55PM -0700, Trent Piepho wrote:
> On Tue, 21 Aug 2001, Raimar Falke wrote:
> > 
> > The term "normali[sz]e(d)" is a technical term. It means that the
> > object is in the preferred/a pleasing representation. 
> 
> I'm sorry, but you're wrong about that.  Look it up!
> 
> Main Entry: normalize
> 1 : to make conform to or reduce to a norm or standard
> 2 : to make normal (as by a transformation of variables)
> 3 : to bring or restore (as relations between countries) to a normal condition
> 
> The sense we mean when we talk about normalizing positions is number 2.  To
> make NORMAL.  Not to make normalized.  Normalized is a past participle, not an
> adjective.

I'm not a native speaker so I can't comment on this arguments. But
also some other people use the term:

./ChangeLog:    modulo calculations when X is already normalized.
./common/map.h:   center_y are normalized. --JDS */
./intl/*: normalized_codeset

> > > normal ~= dead       (both adjectives)
> > > normalize ~= kill    (both verbs, which make the adjective true)
> > > normalized ~= killed (both past particple forms of the verb)
> > > 
> > > It is normalized.  He is killed.         BAD!
> > > It was normalized.  He was killed.       OK
> > > It is normal.   He is dead.              BETTER
> > 
> > I agree that based on this relation it should be named your way. But
> > normal isn't just explicit enough.
> 
> I think what you are saying is that normal is a common adjective, and
> normalized is a technical adjective.  That's wrong.  Normal is a technical
> term too.  It can mean perpendicular (like in surface normal), it has a
> meanings in chemistry (like a normal solution), and in statistics (the
> Gaussian distribution with a variance of 1 and mean of 0), and in math
> (normalize a vector).  
> 
> If you think normal isn't clear enough, because it can mean lots of things,
> then pick another proper adjective.  Like "canonical".  Or "proper".  But not
> a past particple like "normalized"!

I still think that "ensure_normalized_position" is a good name. It is
the most intuitive for me.

        Raimar

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