Re: [Groff] mdoc: Additional "," from .Ex

[Clarke Echols]

On 11/12/2014 02:51 PM, Carsten Kunze wrote:
> Hello,
>
> the mdoc macros display for
>
> .Ex -std uuencode uudecode b64encode b64decode
>
> EXIT STATUS
>       The uuencode, uudecode, b64encode, and b64decode utilities [...]
>
> I think the "," before "and" is not intended.
>
> Carsten

The comma before 'and' is acceptable English punctuation.  In fact,
there are situations where omitting the comma can make a sentence
confusing because it can introduce ambiguity for the reader.

In your example, omitting the comma does not create a problem, but
I've seen white papers and other documents where the writer seems
obsessed about "minimizing" the use of commas, resulting in a
very confusing, difficult-to-read and parse correctly, block of
text, leading the reader to discard the document completely or
question the competence of the company or people responsible for
it.

Clarke