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Read other letters about this article
...or it that ect.? :-)
On the learning curve question/debate/discussion...I always thought saying something "has a steep learning curve" meant that it required a steep learning curve, i.e., you have to gain a lot of knowledge very quickly. So the image of climbing that knowledge vs. time graph makes sense to me. I don't think I've heard of people having a steep learning curve; I think it (almost) always refers to the task or challenge. Or maybe I'm just lucky that I haven't come across really bad usage.
On the language thing...I've been an editor for years, and my pet peeve is people correcting each other's spoken grammar. Or being "outraged" by common misuse. I used to be something of a nitpicker when it came to grammar and usage, and my ears still grate when I hear an "over" that should be "more than", but language evolves. The purpose of language is clear communication, not a test of someone's knowledge of the rules. So let if it's not confusing you, let it go.
(And a big sarcastic thanks to all of you who write to publications to inform them of "the rules" when they make a mistake or let slip a typo. It's very helpful for professional editors to be reminded of the difference between "it's" and "its." Just a humble request from a longtime copy editor: Please keep the smug "gotchas" to yourself. Bask in your superiority without sharing it with us. We put a lot of words out there, and we usually get it right. We know when we made a mistake.)
Note: I'm still a traditionalist when it comes to print, but I'm not going to stop someone mid-sentence to correct their grammar. THAT makes me want to scream.
