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"source code spanning millions of projects" | 113 comments | Create New Account
Comments belong to whoever posts them. Please notify us of inappropriate comments.
"millions of source codes"
Authored by: Anonymous on Tuesday, November 27 2012 @ 11:24 AM EST
No, you have the source code for two programs.

[ Reply to This | Parent | # ]

"millions of source codes"
Authored by: Anonymous on Tuesday, November 27 2012 @ 11:26 AM EST
I see no problem in using "source codes" or "millions of source
codes" (I am born and bred in England with English as my first language) -
just that it "doesn't quite mean what you think it does" (to
[mis]quote a brilliant film).

That's the Humpty Dumpty attitude towards language: the weakness of that
attitude is that, when you're not writing patents but instead are trying to
communicate, you will use words that are understood.

"source codes" is, quite simply, an expression frequently used--but
never used by anyone who knows anything about software.

"Lines of source code" is the idiom that (1) will be understood alike
by everyone, and (2) is universally used by actual programmers.

[ Reply to This | Parent | # ]

One Sheep / Two Sheep
Authored by: OpenSourceFTW on Tuesday, November 27 2012 @ 12:56 PM EST
You don't say two sheeps, you say two sheep.

Slightly different in this case, because you also don't say two source code. You
say two, wait what?

I think the above poster is on to something, even if it just sounds wrong.

Two source codes / two source code. Of the two, the first sounds better. For
some reason, it just sounds wrong to attach a number to it.

[ Reply to This | Parent | # ]

"millions of source codes"
Authored by: gfim on Tuesday, November 27 2012 @ 11:06 PM EST
With respect - you're wrong. As others have said, no native English speaking,
computer programmer would say "one source code".

---
Graham

[ Reply to This | Parent | # ]

"source code spanning millions of projects"
Authored by: Anonymous on Thursday, November 29 2012 @ 03:23 AM EST
It just depends if it is used that way.

And it isn't. If your purpose is to advocate that it should be, OK. But it is
not correct as the language currently is used.

You wouldn't talk about "2 source codes." Some real examples could
be:
"the source code of 2 projects"
"source repository containing 2 projects"
"10 million lines of source code spanning 5 applications and 13
utilities."
"source code spanning millions of projects."

[ Reply to This | Parent | # ]

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