@martinjuckes The NUG section does not make statements that take the form of requirements. It is a subtle and strange component of English language usage in standards and requirements documents. There are quite specific meanings applied to certain words. They are: * shall - It must be done or must be true. This is the only word that defines a hard requirement. * should - It is desired, but it is not required. * may - It is allowed, but it is not required.
The word "must" is a synonym for shall. The word "can" is a synonym for may. We have not adhered to precise language in the past, but that is part of the reason we are having a problem now. We regularly encounter situations where people say, "What we meant by that sentence was ...". Part of what I'm trying to achieve here is writing precise declarative statements using words in a way that leave (ideally) no room for doubt. The NUG doesn't do that. Neither, in many cases, does CF. -- You are receiving this because you are subscribed to this thread. Reply to this email directly or view it on GitHub: https://github.com/cf-convention/cf-conventions/issues/174#issuecomment-593454952 This list forwards relevant notifications from Github. It is distinct from [email protected], although if you do nothing, a subscription to the UCAR list will result in a subscription to this list. To unsubscribe from this list only, send a message to [email protected].
