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There's always a balance between editing an article and destroying the author's style. I've passed this onto Nish and Smitha but we definitely welcome feedback on the editing process.
If you do read an article that needs work then you can tag it for re-editing by cliking on the 'broken article' link at the top left of the article (under the main title)
cheers,
Chris Maunder
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Hello Tom,
Thanks for your feedback. It would definitely be helpful if you can give me links to the articles you specifically found to be lacking in grammar/spelling. I appreciate any kind of feedback that would help me improve the quality of editing.
Thanks,
Smitha
Every problem has a gift for you in its hands.
-- Richard Bach
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Editors, please don't 'correct' 'an SQL statement' to 'a SQL statement'. SQL is an acronym that starts with a vowel sound - es-que-ell - not shorthand for Sequel even if some people choose to pronounce it as such. If an author chooses to use one or the other then that should remain their choice. Reading about 'a SQL statement' destroys the flow of a sentance for me just like reading about a elephant eating a apple.
Everybody is entitled to my opinion
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Not to be overly-pedantic, but the abbreviation SQL starts with a consonant.
However, as it's an abbreviation and not an acronym, each letter is pronounced with the first word being the word for the letter 's' - "es".
Therefore, the article "an" should be used as the word "es" begins with a vowel.
Cheers,
Tom Archer - Archer Consulting Group
Programmer Trainer and Mentor and Project Management Consultant
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Tom Archer wrote:
However, as it's an abbreviation and not an acronym
SQL is an acronym of Structured Query Language? Surely an acronym is an abbreviation, but not necessarily the other way round? 
Everybody is entitled to my opinion
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The suffix -nym means "word". Therefore, I'm old-school that an acronym is a mixture of letters where each letter stands for a word describing something and the word itself also has something to do with the topic.
As an example, the acronym SCUBA stands for Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus. Here the word scuba is an acknowledge word and the letters represent a series of words having to do with the same topic.
"12 steppers" are great at coming up with acronyms - primarily because all their acronyms were created decades ago when the word was still used correctly. For example, 12-steppers are told to HALT before doing their vice - which stands for asking yourself "Am I Hungry? Am I Angry? Am I Lonely? Am I Tired?" Alcoholics that are saying that they are not alcoholics are said to be in DENIAL (Don't Even Know I'm Lying). They also have a SPONSOR (a Sober Person Offering Newcomers Suggestions On Recovery).
SQL, XML, XAML, etc are *not* acronyms (by the original - and not current - definition of the word) because they're simply letters where each letter stands for something, but the combination of letters isn't a word. It's just an abbreviation like IBM or GE.
Yes, I realize that nowadays any one that puts together 3 or more letters calls it an acronym, but to me that destroys the original beauty and creativity that it used to take to create an acronym.
For example, if I designed a database library 15 years ago and wanted to create a catch acronym, I had to think of all the words that would describe my product and then how one of those words could be used such that each letter represented something about my product. Nowadays, someone would simply say "MCDBL is an acronym for 'My Cool DB library' and consider it done.
Like most things, people's inherent laziness has destroyed the original meaning and beauty of something that was once very cool.
Of course, this is JMO and ICBW.
Cheers,
Tom Archer - Archer Consulting Group
Programmer Trainer and Mentor and Project Management Consultant
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As SQL is taking the initial letters from 'Structured Query Language' then why is that not an acronym? Merriam-Webster gives FBI as an acronym - I can't see how SQL is any different. This bit throws me:
" SQL, XML, XAML, etc are *not* abbreviations because they're simply letters where each letter stands for something, but the combination of letters isn't a word. It's just an abbreviation like IBM or GE. "
They are not abbreviations yet they are abbreviations? At the very beginning you stated "as [SQL is] an abbreviation and not an acronym".
If an acronym is a word formed from the initial letters of a series of words then surely that is itself an abbreviation? (Using the definition that an abbreviation is a shortened form of a word or phrase.) StructQL could be an abbreviation for Structured Query Language but it isn't an acronym, whereas SQL falls under both definitions. 
But more importantly, I am really confused now... how is what you first said any different to what I said at the start? I was saying that SQL needs an 'an' not an 'a' because it starts with a vowel sound.
Everybody is entitled to my opinion
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FBI and any other abbreviation are now called acronyms because the original definition of the word acronym has been bastardized to accomodate its current usage. Words are accepted as new words based on usage. For example, "McJob" is now formally a word because so many people use it. I understand that I'm using an out-dated definition, which is why I stated that I'm old-school about this particular subject. I simply prefer when it took some creativity and ingenuity to create acronyms.
We're saying the same thing with regards to using the "an" article with "SQL". We're just differing in our opinions on what is an acronym vs. an abbreviation. Either way, if you pronouse the 'S' letter, then that letter is represented by the word "es", which begins with a vowel and thus must be preceded with the "an" article.
Cheers,
Tom Archer - Archer Consulting Group
Programmer Trainer and Mentor and Project Management Consultant
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So an acronym has to be a valid word on its own that is also related? Gotcha... I think.
Everybody is entitled to my opinion
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Exactly. That's not the accepted definition any more, but that used to be the case. Nowadays, an acronym is any 3 or more letters that someone sticks together.
Cheers,
Tom Archer - Archer Consulting Group
Programmer Trainer and Mentor and Project Management Consultant
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So GNU = GNU is Not Unix is a valid acronym?
BTW, thanks for clearing this acronym/abbreviation thing up for me. I was brainwashed with the new definition, but you've corrected that for me now. Thanks 
--
Komm tu mir langsam weh, leg mir die Ketten an
und zieh die Knoten fest, damit ich lachen kann
I blog too now[^]
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Tom Archer wrote:
SQL, XML, XAML, etc are *not* abbreviations because they're simply letters where each letter stands for something, but the combination of letters isn't a word. It's just an abbreviation like IBM or GE.
Surely you mean "SQL, XML, XAML, etc are *not* acronyms because they're simply letters where each letter stands for something"...?
Shog9
I'm not the Jack of Diamonds... I'm not the six of spades.
I don't know what you thought; I'm not your astronaut...
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Oops. Thanks for the correction.
Cheers,
Tom Archer - Archer Consulting Group
Programmer Trainer and Mentor and Project Management Consultant
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Ah, thanks, that helps a lot with the confusion!
Everybody is entitled to my opinion
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Trying to find a specific ad here on CP... But there doesn't seem to be an advertisers index anywhere! So i must sit reloading The Lounge (page #500, for no particular reason) over and over again, hoping to see the ad i'm looking for. Assuming there are hundreds if not thousands of other ad-loving CPians like myself, i'm sure adding an advertiser directory page would have a noticeable positive effect on the site's performance...
Shog9
I'm not the Jack of Diamonds... I'm not the six of spades.
I don't know what you thought; I'm not your astronaut
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On the right hand side of all top page banners is the 'Banners' link. Click on it for a listing of all our banners.
cheers,
Chris Maunder
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The worst of it is, i went and wrote a script to reload just the banner, over and over again, the url for which i retrieved from viewing page source... 
Shog9
I'm not the Jack of Diamonds... I'm not the six of spades.
I don't know what you thought; I'm not your astronaut...
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Have you thought about selling the Code Project Supporters Logo itself? Or perhaps some levels of ‘Supporter’ based on donation amount would work. I already have Visual Studio, but I might like to give something to CP for the service it provides.
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Something like this[^]? (scroll to the bottom, under 'CodeProject Select')
cheers,
Chris Maunder
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Hey cool, I hadn't spotted that! I was going to buy MSDN from CodeProject months ago but I got another offer before you started selling the interntational version and took that. I thought I'd have to wait till it expired to get a supporter logo, but I just placed an order for the status itself through your store. Do you get any more money this way over an MSDN renewal?
Advertising Chris, you need to tell us about these things if you want us to buy them. 
Everybody is entitled to my opinion
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Sometime CP supporter will ask the query submitter to post their code block for better understanding the scenario from where he/she got the error.
Obedient query submitters will do the same get solution for his/her issue. The code block may be 50 to 500 lines.
According to me, this will hit the CP site performance. So what I suggest is, better to give a link that contain code block instead of posting the entire code block in discussion page. Article and it's source code.
Sreejith Nair
[ My Articles ]
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the "new post" indicator in the different board list does not show, and it's not in bold anymore ?
Maximilien Lincourt
Your Head A Splode - Strong Bad
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I've temporarily disabled some features due to reduce server load.
cheers,
Chris Maunder
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The best solution to a temporary problem is deleting the problem temporarily!
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If they are submitting 500 lines they really need to learn something about debugging so that they can narrow their problem to a manageable level. For anything over about 50 lines and I'd consider skipping it unless I can see the problem in a very basic scan.