423195 - Download Manager needs an en dash!

Status: NEW

(Toolkit :: Downloads API, defect)

Description

[Chester]

User-Agent:       Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-US; rv:1.9b4) Gecko/2008030714 Firefox/3.0b4
Build Identifier: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-US; rv:1.9b4) Gecko/2008030714 Firefox/3.0b4

En dash: U+2013 (0x96)
Keystroke for the en dash on Windows is: Alt+0150

Reproducible: Always

Steps to Reproduce:
1. Download a file and observe that the dash, say we have 50 seconds to the end of the download progress, after '50 seconds remaining' is an em dash and not an en dash. An en dash is a little shorter than an em dash. The dash here should be an en dash. Please fix that dash to be an en dash.

Comment 1

[Shawn Wilsher :sdwilsh]

why en over em exactly?

Comment 2

[Ed Lee :Mardak]

endash is used for number ranges like "pages 5--10".

Comment 3

[Shawn Wilsher :sdwilsh]

which this isn't, so back to the reporter - why endash instead of emdash?

Comment 4

[Chester]

Attachment: This file is a screenshot of a hyphen, an en dash, and an em dash.

Please use the en dash character in the Download Manager.

Comment 5

[Ed Lee :Mardak]

Yes, we're aware what they look like, but why endash instead of emdash?

Comment 6

[Chester]

The first impression is that the em dash looks ackward, and not only that. It is also a matter of the correct use. The correct use is to have an en dash, because the em dash is only used together with the en dash, and since there's no en dash there, the em dash is not logical to be there in the first place. The one who used the em dash instead of the en dash was probably thinking that the em dash would be better seen to separate the remaining time of the download from the size of the file that is downloading. We use an en dash in this circumstances. :)

Please make sure that the en dash character is used in Download Manager when it is indicating the separation of the remaining time of the download from the size of the file that is downloading. Thank you.

Comment 7

[Stephen Donner [:stephend] Not actively reading bugmail]

Chester's right;

http://www.harpercollins.ca/global_scripts/product_catalog/book_xml.asp?isbn=0060882492&tc=cx:

"<snip>But here are the two basic uses of en dashes:

1. To show numerical ranges, signifying "up to and including"—of dates, ages, pages, etc. (Example: "I read pages 7-22 last night.")<snip>"

Comment 8

[Stephen Donner [:stephend] Not actively reading bugmail]

Wait, I misread the bug; I'm actually not 100% sure now, but am leaning towards it being correct as is with the em dash.

Chester, do you have a source for your assertion that, "the em dash is only used together with the en dash"?

I have the Chicago Manual of Style, 14th Edition, at work, so I can look this up on Monday.

Comment 9

[Chester]

When we type text, we are used to use the hyphen to stress something, but this is not the correct choice. The orthographically correct use is the en dash! An em dash is used only when you have an en dash in the forst word and then you need to separate two sentences (for some reason):

"I must say – i love apples! — It is clear why this is a good idea. — This is great!"

Like in english-teaching books, when they list some sentences for you to do something with them (like correct them and stuff like that), those sentences are separated with em dashes if a sentence (or sentences) contains an en dash (or en dashes).

The bottom line is that we use en dashes to separate things in text. Using the em dash (not together with en dash or en dashes) is exagerrating. Please fix the em dash to be an en dash instead. Thank you and God speed! ;)

Comment 10

[Ed Lee :Mardak]

En dashes are equivalent to "to" for a numeric range not for separating things in text.

Comment 11

[Chester]

Yes, en dashes are equivalent to "to" for a numeric range, but they also serve as separators. A hyphen is too short and is ment for other uses, and an em dash is too long and is very rarely used. The most common and most logical and the only correct use would be to use an en dash in our case. Please use an en dash.

Also, a colon would also look good. Any comments about this proposal?

Comment 12

[Chester]

Do not forget to change that character for other strings, like "Canceled – %s" and other ones if they exist.

Comment 13

[Stephen Donner [:stephend] Not actively reading bugmail]

Mass-removing myself from cc; search for 12b9dfe4-ece3-40dc-8d23-60e179f64ac1 or any reasonable part thereof, to mass-delete these notifications (and sorry!)