"not as many" as "not as few", and "before long"; strange uses of negation?

[dihen]

Why would someone say
"...though this does not cause as many problems as you think..."
when they seem to mean
"...though this does not cause as few problems as you think..."
`
To me, the first sounds like
"Contrary to what you think, it will not cause too many problems."
and this second sounds like
"Contrary to what you think, it will actually cause more problems."
`
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Do "before long" and "not before long" both mean "soon"?

[Tdol]

The first should mean what you say, so if you've heard it used the other way, I'd suggest that it could have been an error.

[dihen]

Do "before long" and "not before long" both mean "soon"?

Do they?

[BobK]

Do "before long" and "not before long" both mean "soon"?

No.

b

[dihen]

No.

Then what does "not before long" mean?

[Philly]

.
I wouldn't use "not before long". To me, it's meaningless.
.
Here's a link:
http://www.usingenglish.com/forum/as...ng-before.html