English Idiom in Unix: Directory Recursively

[rantingrick]

On May 24, 7:40 pm, Chris Angelico <ros... at gmail.com> wrote:
> On Wed, May 25, 2011 at 8:06 AM, Rikishi42 <skunkwo... at rikishi42.net> wrote:
> > On 2011-05-24, Steven D'Aprano <steve+comp.lang.pyt... at pearwood.info> wrote:

> >> I wonder whether physicists insist that cars should have a "go faster
> >> pedal" because ordinary people don't need to understand Newton's Laws of
> >> Motion in order to drive cars?
>
> > Gas pedal. Pedal was allraedy known when the car was invented. The simple
> > addition of gas solved that need. Oh, and it's break pedal, not
> > descellarator. (sp?)
>
> Americans might call it a gas pedal. We call it an accelerator. You
> don't have a "decelerator pedal" though, because it's more accurately
> called a "brake pedal" because it controls the brakes.

Actually the same argument could be applied to your observation of the
driver to vehicle interface. You say "brake petal" simple because it
controls the brakes. Well then what does the "accelerator" control
then?

Most wise observers would blubber... "I know, I know, it controls the
gas!"...and while partially correct they would be mostly wrong. Yes it
does control the "gas" but not in a direct way. Of course technically
it depends on implementation (a favorite word around c.l.py it seems
*rolls-eyes*).

In the days of carburetors the "accelerator" actually controlled a big
flap. This "big flap" (An attribute of which many round here seem to
posses and use generously) is opened to allow air to enter and the gas
is mixed into the air by secondary effect.

So if we really wanted to get pedantic we should call it an "air
petal"? However considering that any vehicle made after the early
nineties is fuel injected (which is controlled by a computer!) then we
may want to call it a "puter petal" to be precise.

Note: The remainder of your post was lucid and informative.