On 29/09/06, Delirium <delirium(a)hackish.org> wrote:
Footnotes make sense when a
specific claim should be attributed to a specific source, especially if
it's controversial.
Interestingly, this is standard style in most of the technical articles,
maybe because the pedants know not to poke their head in there. Most
good mathematics articles contain a footnote-free exposition of the
subject, with some references at the end, and footnotes only to point
out where authorities disagree, where there's a significant minority
view, or to point to particularly notable proofs.
Depends. I've learnt to use defensive inline references in articles on
recent technology because people will argue over *anything* ;-) Mind
you, that's more a specialised variety of current-events article.
- d.