Mass Changes

[Els]

Thankfully, no. But it is prevalent.

Point is, when we use the word popular, we generally mean that it is
used due to it being liked. You really never hear the word describe
something which is just common. "Prevalent" or just "common" is a better
choice there.

True, but hair loss isn't a good word for comparison, as it
isn't used. It is something you can suffer from, or not care
about, but you can't use it.

Popular is a correct word for things that are used a lot,
but I do agree it is clearer to use a word like "common".

 

[Matt Probert]

So, hair loss is popular?

It's not a word that would be usually used in this context, one would
tend to say widespread or common, perhaps 'prevalent' if we were
talking about 'older men'. This is one of the great joys of the
English language, it's richness and complete lack of logic!

Matt

 

[Matt Probert]

Thankfully, no. But it is prevalent.

Point is, when we use the word popular, we generally mean that it is used
due to it being liked. You really never hear the word describe something
which is just common. "Prevalent" or just "common" is a better choice
there.

We often use the word 'popular' for something that is prevalent
through free choice, such as consumer goods.

Fowler, in 'Modern English Usage' uses the term 'popular' to describe
usage of the word inoxicated of which he says 'so long popular as to
be not now recognizable for a medical term at all', here the word
'popular' is used to describe the common usage of a word in everyday
language by ordinary people. The word 'intoxicated' is so commonly
used that Fowler describes it as 'popular'.

In contrast, the word 'common' as an adjective means 'shared alike by
all the persons of things in question, or by all humankind'.

'Prevalent' would also be inappropriate to describe a Newsreader
application, since it would indicate too large a market share as
though to not use the 'prevalent' application should mark one out as
odd.

Popular is the correct term then in the context of describing a
Newsreader with a large user-base.

Matt

 

[Matt Probert]

Popular is a correct word for things that are used a lot,
but I do agree it is clearer to use a word like "common".

Clearer? To the illiterate, perhaps, for if one understands the
meaning of the word, then it is certainly not clearer! One might
wonder - not without some irony when considering Microsoft - if
'common' was being used as an adjective in the sense of 'vulgar' !

Matt

 

[Els]

Clearer? To the illiterate, perhaps, for if one understands the
meaning of the word, then it is certainly not clearer!

You caught me.. I hang out with the illiterate too much. I
am used to make them understand me :-(

One might
wonder - not without some irony when considering Microsoft - if
'common' was being used as an adjective in the sense of 'vulgar' !

Not necessarily a bad thing (when considering Microsoft - of
course) ;-)

 

[GreyWyvern]

Clearer? To the illiterate, perhaps, for if one understands the
meaning of the word, then it is certainly not clearer!

I'd just like to inform everyone that the topic of this thread is Mass
Changes. What does this conversation have to do with Mass Changes?

And before someone calls *me* for being off-topic, I'd also like to inform
you all that Mass will no longer be in Latin, it will be in English and
take place at 11am rather than 10am, on Sundays. Have a nice day.

Grey

 

[Neal]

I'd just like to inform everyone that the topic of this thread is Mass
Changes. What does this conversation have to do with Mass Changes?

And before someone calls *me* for being off-topic, I'd also like to
inform you all that Mass will no longer be in Latin, it will be in
English and take place at 11am rather than 10am, on Sundays. Have a
nice day.

I thought this was a thread about gay marriage laws in Massachusetts...

 

[Els]

I'd just like to inform everyone that the topic of this thread is Mass
Changes. What does this conversation have to do with Mass Changes?

And before someone calls *me* for being off-topic, I'd also like to
inform you all that Mass will no longer be in Latin, it will be in
English and take place at 11am rather than 10am, on Sundays. Have a
nice day.

<g>

Here you go. Changed the subject line.

 

[Els]

I thought this was a thread about gay marriage laws in Massachusetts...

Elaborate on the link between gay marriage and hairloss?

Hang on, I know In a gay marriage, there's likely to be
twice as much hairloss as in a hetero marriage :-D

eh.. on second thought.. could be half as much as well..

 

[Matt Probert]

You caught me.. I hang out with the illiterate too much. I
am used to make them understand me :-(

I should like to apologise to you Els, and make it clear that I did
not intend to imply that Els or any other particular indiviudual is
illiterate. Sorry if I caused you any upset.

Not necessarily a bad thing (when considering Microsoft - of
course) ;-)

<g>

Matt

 

[Matt Probert]

I'd just like to inform everyone that the topic of this thread is Mass
Changes. What does this conversation have to do with Mass Changes?

And before someone calls *me* for being off-topic, I'd also like to inform
you all that Mass will no longer be in Latin, it will be in English and
take place at 11am rather than 10am, on Sundays. Have a nice day.

BTW, sorry to get back on topic, but I do have a simple command line
application that takes three parameters: file spec, search string,
replacement string and does an automatic replacement on all matching
files in the current directory.

If some one has a freeware site, they are welcome to a copy to make
available.

On the other hand, something similar could be written in a few lines
of Perl and posted here. Okay last to post the (quick and dirty) Perl
solution is a sissy! <g>

Matt

 

[Matt Probert]

Elaborate on the link between gay marriage and hairloss?

Hang on, I know In a gay marriage, there's likely to be
twice as much hairloss as in a hetero marriage :-D

Thinking lesbian....the mind *BOGGLES* !!!!!!

eh.. on second thought.. could be half as much as well..

<BG> well caught!

But, is not hair loss related to that male hormone.....Okay, you win,
I'm a sad no-life. I'll be quiet.

Matt

 

[Bill Clark]

BTW, sorry to get back on topic, but I do have a simple command line
application that takes three parameters: file spec, search string,
replacement string and does an automatic replacement on all matching
files in the current directory.

If some one has a freeware site, they are welcome to a copy to make
available.

If you would send a copy to twentytwentyhindsight at usa dot net
(substitute digits in the obvious place) I will make it available...

 

[Els]

BTW, sorry to get back on topic, but ...

Doesn't that just define a.w.w. completely? ;-)

 

[Els]

I should like to apologise to you Els, and make it clear that I did
not intend to imply that Els or any other particular indiviudual is
illiterate. Sorry if I caused you any upset.

No need for apologies, Matt, it takes a lot more than that
to upset me

(can't speak for anyone else though)

 

[Bill Clark]

If some one has a freeware site, they are welcome to a copy to make
available.

Oops! I misread your message as free site as opposed to freeware...

 

[Matt Probert]

On the other hand, something similar could be written in a few lines
of Perl and posted here. Okay last to post the (quick and dirty) Perl
solution is a sissy! <g>

Pkay, here's a quick and dirty one. I repeat it's QUICK AND DIRTY and
not a showcase for the most elegant Perl programming ever! Ok? No
flames please!

-- Begin

#!/usr/bin/perl

# A quick and dirty global search and replace program written in Perl
# Supplied as is without warranty
# Usage is 'perl gsr.pl <file spec> <find> <replace>

# There is plenty of scope for improvements, not least of which
# is modifying the program to span line breaks!

# Note:
# A bug in Windows means that file names in lower case, which
# conform to the 8.3 naming convention will be converted to
# uppercase by this program. eg: myfile.htm will be renamed
# MYFILE.HTM

die "Usage is $0 <file spec> <search> <replace>\n" if $#ARGV != 2;

# Extract file names matching ARGV[0] into a list
@fnames=glob($ARGV[0]);

foreach $file (@fnames)
{
open(FILE, $file);
open(TEMP,">temp");
while (<FILE>)
{
# Replace all occurences of the second command line
argument
# with the second within the current line in the file

$_ =~ s/$ARGV[1]/$ARGV[2]/gi;

print TEMP "$_";
}
close(FILE);
close(TEMP);
rename(temp,$file);
}

-- end

 

[Charles Sweeney]

Pkay, here's a quick and dirty one. I repeat it's QUICK AND DIRTY and
not a showcase for the most elegant Perl programming ever! Ok? No
flames please!

Here's a simpler one:

-- begin

#!/usr/bin/perl

find(this)

and_replace_it_with(this)

-- end

UNTESTED I hasten to add!

 

[Toby A Inkster]

On the other hand, something similar could be written in a few lines
of Perl and posted here. Okay last to post the (quick and dirty) Perl
solution is a sissy! <g>

Is two lines (excluding shebang) too many? I can do it in one if I'm
allowed to change the order of the arguments to STRING, REPLACEMENT,
FILESPEC.

#!/usr/bin/perl
$a = shift @ARGV;
system("sed -i 's/" . shift @ARGV . '/' . shift @ARGV . "/g' $a");

(Very dirty. Won't work for some STRINGs -- anything that has a special
meaning in a regexp.)

 

[Charles Sweeney]

Is two lines (excluding shebang) too many? I can do it in one

Crikey, it's like Name That Tune!