Canons

Canonicalization Explained

Nick Parker — Thu, 25 Jan 2007 18:30:54 GMT

Canonicalization Explained

re: Canons

Larry Osterman — Fri, 15 Oct 2004 01:10:00 GMT

'Twasn't I :)

But I do suspect I know.

re: Canons

Brian — Fri, 15 Oct 2004 01:05:00 GMT

Interesting that this would come up and here's the word in a just released KB article:

http://support.microsoft.com/?id=887289

"HTTP module to check for canonicalization issues with ASP.NET"

Who's been writing these KB articles I wonder?

re: Canons

Norman Diamond — Thu, 14 Oct 2004 03:38:00 GMT

I once used a photocopier to make canonical forms. If I'd used the right brand of printer then the originals would have been canonical too.

10/7/2004 3:39 PM Jason Friederich

> Wouldn't *cannonical* be an adjective
> instead of a noun

Sure, it does look like an adjective though I've never seen it before. I suppose you could use cannons to enforce canons, then the canons might be cannonical, but do the cannons have to be canonical or could you use any kind?

Canonicalization Explained

Nick Parker — Fri, 08 Oct 2004 21:05:00 GMT

Canonicalization Explained

Nick Parker — Fri, 08 Oct 2004 20:55:00 GMT

re: Canons

Eric Lippert — Fri, 08 Oct 2004 18:04:00 GMT

> What's up with you and Eric Lippert* riffing on language recently?

Larry and I have a lot in common. For instance, we're both speakers of English.

> If you're painting your fence green you're not going to say you're greenizing

Of course not. You're greening it. Green is already a verb, as are most colour words. Colour words that aren't verbs usually have simple verb forms, such as "redden", "blacken", "whiten".

And even if they didn't, I'd much prefer "greenify" to "greenize".

re: Canons

Mat Hall — Fri, 08 Oct 2004 08:00:00 GMT

I'm not a great fan of the random application of the ize/ization suffixes; it's just laziness! If you want to say you're going to make something canonical, then use the phrase "make /foo/ canonical". I know language isn't static, yah de yah da, and that there are canonical examples of words (randomize, for example), but "words" like "incentivize" just wind me up...

If you're painting your fence green you're not going to say you're greenizing or paintedizing it, and if you drink a lot of beer you're not drunkizing yourself. Pack it in forthwith, or I will bruisedize you! :)

re: Canons

Drew — Thu, 07 Oct 2004 23:15:00 GMT

What's up with you and Eric Lippert* riffing on language recently? Strange memes floating about, I guess.

"Canonize" and "canonization" have more the meaning of "making something canon", whereas "canonicalization" is meant as "making something conformant with existing canon".

I'd like to see widespread use of "regulate", which seems to have the meaning of "canonicalization" but is in fact a word. The OED (language canon) says so. Unfortunately nobody would know what I meant if I talked about regulating my file path.

I like "normalization". I'm not worried about the deity so much. It's a real word, has the right meaning, and is used in that sense commonly enough that someone else is likely to understand it.

* Eric's recent language blog:
http://blogs.msdn.com/ericlippert/archive/2004/10/01/236740.aspx

re: Canons

Larry Osterman — Thu, 07 Oct 2004 22:42:00 GMT

Canonical is an adjective, ize is used to turn both nouns and sdjectives into words.

I'll fix the text.