Re: RFC 2119 terms, ALL CAPS vs lower case

[Randy Bush <randy@xxxxxxx>]

>>> can != may
>>> one is ability, the other permission
>> When we were first taught English grammar, yes.  Today, not so much.
>> Actually pretty much never.  In modern usage, the distinction has been lost.
> I must be ancient then as I still use this distinction (and similarly 
> would/could).

yep.  let's stick to hacking our own documents, not the english
language.

further, quoting barry:

> The trouble with the first approach (using all caps as 2119 terms, and 
> using the same words in lower case as normal English) isn't so much 
> that someone might be confused later, but that during development and 
> review we're not sure whether you meant to put the word in all caps, 
> and just forgot.

and when i say a field is 42 bits long, you don't know if i really meant
41.

just address the document, do not try to guess intent.  life is already
sufficiently complex.

randy