typst / typst/codex

Rename `times` to `cross`

Open
#141 6 comments 0 reactions 0 assignees View on GitHub

Nobody has claimed this yet.

proposal
Dominant language
Rust
Stars
53
Forks
22
PR merge metrics
No merged PRs in 30d

Description

Pro:

  • Easier to discover (at least in my experience), esp. if you already know that dot refers to a multiplication dot, then I'd expect to find the multiplication cross under the according name.
  • Nicely parallels the naming between cross and dot product.
  • times could mean any kind of multiplication symbol; cross is more descriptive (esp. considering differing conventions, like in Germany, where the typical "times" symbol is almost always a dot).

Con:

  • Precedent of HTML using ×, LaTeX using \times, and codepoints like U+2297 CIRCLED TIMES in Unicode.
  • Might be assumed to refer to crossmark or similar.
  • Obviously quite breaking.

Concerning the last point, an alternative could be to support both names, similar to infinity and oo coexisting. I'm unaware if this proposal has been discussed and/or declined in the past.

Contributor guide

Open the contributing guide

First steps

  1. Read the whole issue, then the project's contributing guide.
  2. Comment on the issue to say you are picking it up — it saves two people doing the same work.
  3. Fork the repository and make your change on a branch.
  4. Open a pull request that references the issue number.

Research direction

The issue proposes renaming times to cross, while also raising support for both names as an alternative. No files, tests, or entry points are identified; first review the six-comment discussion and locate the existing times, infinity, and oo symbol definitions and references. Done requires an agreed naming direction and consistent handling of the affected symbols.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Tech stack
rust
Domain
tooling
Issue type
Feature
Difficulty
5/5
Estimated time
Over a week
Activity status
Stale
Clarity
Needs clarification
Newbie friendliness
25/100

Get new issues in your inbox

A short digest of beginner-friendly GitHub issues.