Re: User guide?

[John Ahlstrom <jahlstro -at- CISCO -dot- COM>]

Geoff Hart wrote:

>This is always a tough one. The answer mostly depends on
> what you actually want to say. Strictly speaking:
>
> - a guide for users: a Users' guide (possessive form of
> users)
> - a guide for _the_ user: a User's guide (possessive form
> of user)
> - a guide on (how to use?) Users: a User guide (adjectival
> form, in the same sense as field guide, installation guide)

I don't know what case "for" took in Old English, but
I doubt it was genitive.  Seems to me that any of the above
     for users
     for user
     on (or to or about) user or users
should simply be
        Users guide == most frequently Guide for Users
                       not Guide of (possessive) Users

John Ahlstrom
jahlstrom -at- cisco -dot- com

...do not make a statement that cannot be easily
understood on the grounds that it will be understood
eventually.
                (Hillel)

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