X-Git-Url: http://erislabs.net/gitweb/?a=blobdiff_plain;f=doc%2Fstandards.texi;h=e950b223d5fbba0986835e07dc6a193077fd5833;hb=533101a268dc5015a140ff4695d8eeb04fbe57b6;hp=6978e51ece505f85a4a0e4cd31dfda23befff521;hpb=95928d3b1ce10d1e85b5be735071c8f64bdad3b7;p=gnulib.git

diff --git a/doc/standards.texi b/doc/standards.texi
index 6978e51ec..e950b223d 100644
--- a/doc/standards.texi
+++ b/doc/standards.texi
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@
 @setfilename standards.info
 @settitle GNU Coding Standards
 @c This date is automagically updated when you save this file:
-@set lastupdate January 1, 2013
+@set lastupdate September 13, 2013
 @c %**end of header
 
 @dircategory GNU organization
@@ -291,34 +291,17 @@ account when designing your program.
 @cindex programming languages
 
 When you want to use a language that gets compiled and runs at high
-speed, the best language to use is C.  Using another language is like
-using a non-standard feature: it will cause trouble for users.  Even if
-GCC supports the other language, users may find it inconvenient to have
-to install the compiler for that other language in order to build your
-program.  For example, if you write your program in C++, people will
-have to install the GNU C++ compiler in order to compile your program.
-
-C has one other advantage over C++ and other compiled languages: more
-people know C, so more people will find it easy to read and modify the
-program if it is written in C.
-
-So in general it is much better to use C, rather than the
-comparable alternatives.
-
-But there are two exceptions to that conclusion:
-
-@itemize @bullet
-@item
-It is no problem to use another language to write a tool specifically
-intended for use with that language.  That is because the only people
-who want to build the tool will be those who have installed the other
-language anyway.
-
-@item
-If an application is of interest only to a narrow part of the community,
-then the question of which language it is written in has less effect on
-other people, so you may as well please yourself.
-@end itemize
+speed, the best language to use is C.  C++ is ok too, but please don't
+make heavy use of templates.  So is Java, if you compile it.
+
+When highest efficiency is not required, other languages commonly used
+in the free software community, such as Scheme, Python, Ruby, and
+Java, are OK too.  Scheme, as implemented by GNU@tie{}Guile, plays a
+particular role in the GNU System: it is the preferred language to
+extend programs written in C/C++, and also a fine language for a wide
+range of applications.  The more GNU components use Guile and Scheme,
+the more users are able to extend and combine them (@pxref{The Emacs
+Thesis,,, guile, GNU Guile Reference Manual}).
 
 Many programs are designed to be extensible: they include an interpreter
 for a language that is higher level than C.  Often much of the program
@@ -333,8 +316,8 @@ language Scheme (an especially clean and simple dialect of Lisp).
 Guile also includes bindings for GTK+/GNOME, making it practical to
 write modern GUI functionality within Guile.  We don't reject programs
 written in other ``scripting languages'' such as Perl and Python, but
-using Guile is very important for the overall consistency of the GNU
-system.
+using Guile is the path that will lead to overall consistency of the
+GNU system.
 
 
 @node Compatibility
@@ -901,7 +884,6 @@ keyboard-driven console interface (for use by users from console
 mode).  Once you are doing the work to provide the functionality and
 the graphical interface, these won't be much extra work.
 
-
 @node Command-Line Interfaces
 @section Standards for Command Line Interfaces
 @cindex command-line interface
@@ -1076,7 +1058,7 @@ The Apache Software Foundation license,
 @url{http://www.apache.org/@/licenses}.
 
 @item Artistic
-The Artistic license used for Perl, @url{http://www.perlfoundation.org/@/legal}.
+The Artistic license used for Perl, @url{http://dev.perl.org/licenses/artistic.html}.
 
 @item Expat
 The Expat license, @url{http://www.jclark.com/@/xml/@/copying.txt}.
@@ -3258,8 +3240,9 @@ the option @option{--quoting-style} of GNU @code{ls}.
 @section Mmap
 @findex mmap
 
-Don't assume that @code{mmap} either works on all files or fails
-for all files.  It may work on some files and fail on others.
+If you use @code{mmap} to read or write files, don't assume it either
+works on all files or fails for all files.  It may work on some files
+and fail on others.
 
 The proper way to use @code{mmap} is to try it on the specific file for
 which you want to use it---and if @code{mmap} doesn't work, fall back on
@@ -3374,13 +3357,13 @@ are purely tutorial and cover the basics of the subject.  These provide
 the framework for a beginner to understand the rest of the manual.  The
 Bison manual provides a good example of how to do this.
 
-To serve as a reference, a manual should have an Index that list all the
-functions, variables, options, and important concepts that are part of
-the program.  One combined Index should do for a short manual, but
-sometimes for a complex package it is better to use multiple indices.
-The Texinfo manual includes advice on preparing good index entries, see
-@ref{Index Entries, , Making Index Entries, texinfo, GNU Texinfo}, and
-see @ref{Indexing Commands, , Defining the Entries of an
+To serve as a reference, a manual should have an Index that lists all
+the functions, variables, options, and important concepts that are
+part of the program.  One combined Index should do for a short manual,
+but sometimes for a complex package it is better to use multiple
+indices.  The Texinfo manual includes advice on preparing good index
+entries, see @ref{Index Entries, , Making Index Entries, texinfo, GNU
+Texinfo}, and see @ref{Indexing Commands, , Defining the Entries of an
 Index, texinfo, GNU Texinfo}.
 
 Don't use Unix man pages as a model for how to write GNU documentation;
@@ -3925,7 +3908,8 @@ corresponding to most of the standard directory variables
 
 @example
 --prefix --exec-prefix --bindir --sbindir --libexecdir --sysconfdir
---sharedstatedir --localstatedir --libdir --includedir --oldincludedir
+--sharedstatedir --localstatedir --runstatedir
+--libdir --includedir --oldincludedir
 --datarootdir --datadir --infodir --localedir --mandir --docdir
 --htmldir --dvidir --pdfdir --psdir
 @end example