Re: [PATCH] docs/dev-tools: fix a typo

[Jonathan Corbet <corbet@lwn.net>]

Dan Carpenter <dan.carpenter@linaro.org> writes:

> On Tue, Oct 15, 2024 at 04:32:27PM +0200, 'Marco Elver' via HUST OS Kernel Contribution wrote:
>> On Tue, 15 Oct 2024 at 16:11, Dongliang Mu <mudongliangabcd@gmail.com> wrote:
>> >
>> > On Tue, Oct 15, 2024 at 10:09 PM Haoyang Liu <tttturtleruss@hust.edu.cn> wrote:
>> > >
>> > > fix a typo in dev-tools/kmsan.rst
>> > >
>> > > Signed-off-by: Haoyang Liu <tttturtleruss@hust.edu.cn>
>> > > ---
>> > >  Documentation/dev-tools/kmsan.rst | 2 +-
>> > >  1 file changed, 1 insertion(+), 1 deletion(-)
>> > >
>> > > diff --git a/Documentation/dev-tools/kmsan.rst b/Documentation/dev-tools/kmsan.rst
>> > > index 6a48d96c5c85..0dc668b183f6 100644
>> > > --- a/Documentation/dev-tools/kmsan.rst
>> > > +++ b/Documentation/dev-tools/kmsan.rst
>> > > @@ -133,7 +133,7 @@ KMSAN shadow memory
>> > >  -------------------
>> > >
>> > >  KMSAN associates a metadata byte (also called shadow byte) with every byte of
>> > > -kernel memory. A bit in the shadow byte is set iff the corresponding bit of the
>> > > +kernel memory. A bit in the shadow byte is set if the corresponding bit of the
>> >
>> > This is not a typo. iff is if and only if
>> 
>> +1
>> 
>> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/If_and_only_if
>> 
>
> Does "iff" really add anything over regular "if"?  I would have thought the
> "only if" could be assumed in this case.  Or if it's really necessary then we
> could spell it out.

Somebody "fixing" occurrences of "iff" are a regular occurrence; it's an
attractive nuisance for non-native speakers.  For that reason alone, I'm
coming to the conclusion that we should just spell it out when that is
the intended meaning.

jon