[bug-gnulib] Re: removed some inaccurate uses of "pathname" etc. from gnulib modules

[Bruno Haible]

Paul Eggert wrote:
> Most of the changes come from the following part of the GNU
> coding standards:
>
>   Please do not use the term ``pathname'' that is used in Unix
>   documentation; use ``file name'' (two words) instead.  We use the term
>   ``path'' only for search paths, which are lists of directory names.

This citation is taken from the recommendations for GNU Manuals. As such,
it applies to source code only if you want to use the same speak in the
code as in the documentation.

IMO, for an end user, "file name" is really the better term, because the
user thinks to designate a file or directory. However, in implementation
code - such as path-concat - we the hackers think about the structure of
the string, with directory separators and dots etc. I think "pathname"
applies well to this context.

There are more differences between the language of different groups, such
as:

          end user                programmer
          --------                ----------

          program                 executable

          shared library          shared object

          character               combined character
                                  (since the user doesn't a base character
                                  and its attached combining characters as
                                  separate entities)

          file name               pathname

          block of memory         page (of memory)

          user name               user fullname
          login name              user name

Etc.

For this reason, I don't see why I should rename the 'pathname' module.
It's not visible to the end user.

Bruno