From mboxrd@z Thu Jan  1 00:00:00 1970
X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.4.4 (2020-01-24) on polar.synack.me
X-Spam-Level: 
X-Spam-Status: No, score=-1.3 required=5.0 tests=BAYES_00,INVALID_MSGID
	autolearn=no autolearn_force=no version=3.4.4
X-Google-Language: ENGLISH,ASCII-7-bit
X-Google-Thread: 103376,99ab4bb580fc34cd
X-Google-Attributes: gid103376,public
From: mfeldman@seas.gwu.edu (Michael Feldman)
Subject: Re: Q: access to subprogram
Date: 1996/07/20
Message-ID: <4sr6ad$3tj@felix.seas.gwu.edu>#1/1
X-Deja-AN: 169821833
references: <m2u3vfem42.fsf@devo.ridgecrest.ca.us> <4sbtc5$uej@news.nyu.edu>
 <4sdt1i$nqa@mulga.cs.mu.OZ.AU> <dewar.837456126@schonberg>
organization: George Washington University
newsgroups: comp.lang.ada
Date: 1996-07-20T00:00:00+00:00
List-Id: <comp.lang.ada>


In article <dewar.837456126@schonberg>, Robert Dewar <dewar@cs.nyu.edu> wrote:

>(I suspect you meant MOOT as in "doesn't matter any more", but that is not
>what the word means in traditional usage, although I agree this US usage
>is (unfortunately) getting very common)

The English and the Americans are two people separated by a common
language. (Shaw?)

Actually, the "unfortunate" US usage of "moot" is quite normal in
legal circles, and has been for a long time. Courts will use the term
to mean a legal issue they don't have to worry about deciding, because
the conditions in the suit were overtaken by events, or some other
such cause.

Law schools have a ritual they call "moot court", which is essentially
a simulated courtroom drama, where students debate each other to get
practice for doing so in real courtrooms. I think both senses of "moot"
apply here - it is a court where things are debated, but it doesn't
matter what the outcome is (well, except maybe for a student's grade.:-))

Your 1-man crusade to hold back the tide is (in both senses) moot.:-)

Mike Feldman