Re: [bug-gnulib] Re: standards.texi language cleanup (was: Cygwin && WIN32)

[Bruno Haible]

Karl Berry wrote:
>             * doc/standards.texi (System Portability): Spell out `free BSD
>             variants', instead of using the term `*BSD'.
>
> Before I bother rms with this, can you please explain to me the
> objection to "*BSD"?  I'd never heard that before.  NetBSD and OpenBSD
> don't like being lumped together?

I think the "*" wildcard is usually neutral, but sometimes also used to
abbreviate a word that one wouldn't like to pronounce. E.g. p*rl ...

Bruno