Re: regexp question: match anything but not a group?

[Loris Bennett]

Thorsten Jolitz <tjolitz@gmail.com> writes:

> Stefan Monnier <monnier@iro.umontreal.ca> writes:
>
>>> But it still seems valid to protect against greedyness?
>>                                               ^^^^^^^^^^
>> AKA greed,
>
> I just made it up, but funny enough - it does actually exist (with
> slightly different spelling)!
>
>>From http://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/greediness:
>
> ,-------------------------------------------------------------------
> | greediness (ˈɡriːdɪnɪs) 
> | 
> | Definitions
> | 
> | noun
> | 
> |  1. the quality of being greedy
> | 
> | greedy (ˈɡriːdɪ Pronunciation for greedy ) 
> | 
> | Definitions
> | 
> | adjective
> | 
> | Word forms:  greedier,  greediest
> | 
> |  1. excessively desirous of food or wealth, esp in large amounts;
> |     voracious
> |  2. (postpositive) foll by for eager (for)   ⇒ `a man greedy for
> |     success'
> | 
> | Derived Forms
> | 
> | ˈgreedily adverb
> | ˈgreediness noun
> | 
> | Word Origin
> | 
> | Old English grǣdig; related to Old Norse grāthugr, Gothic grēdags
> | hungry, Old High German grātac
> | 
> | Example Sentences Including 'greediness'
> | 
> |     At times his greediness got the better of him but he never let
> |     his enthusiasm go off the boil.
> | 
> | Sun, News of the World (2004)
> | 
> |     Broilers consume lots more feed-there's a good chance that
> |     greediness has been inadvertently selected for.
> | 
> | New Scientist (1998)
> | 
> |     Mr Carman asked him if he had a `streak of greediness " in him
> |     for money, expensive cars and Rolex watches.
> | 
> | Sun, News of the World (1999)
> | 
> |     Thus individuals who do experience strong pulls of greediness
> |     often go to desperate measures to hide their behaviour.
> | 
> | Knowles, Jane Know Your Own Mind
> `-------------------------------------------------------------------

If I were you, Thorsten, I wouldn't rely on "The Sun and "NOTW" for
particularly nuanced usage of the English language, even if Collins does
quote them.  "New Scientist" is in a different category, but I think
"greed" would be much better in the example given for the following
reason:

I would say that "greed" is traditionally "a deadly sin", i.e. a moral
failing, whereas "greediness" is a (normally) non-fatal display of
overindulgence.  Bankers may be reviled for their greed, but
sticky-faced children told off for their greediness.

In "Mastering Regular Expressions", Friedl refers to the "greediness"
aspect of regular expressions, which, given the lack of a moral context,
seems to me the appropriate choice.

Cheers,

Loris

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