... different in that ...

[driftwood]

I've been taught that one can't use a that~ clause after a proposition. But I often come across the following construction. How do you explain this discrepancy?

Links in hypertext are new in that they can be followed automatically.
SQLite is different in that copyright law simply does not apply.

Thank you.

Jay

[BobK]

I've been taught that one can't use a that~ clause after a proposition. But I often come across the following construction. How do you explain this discrepancy?

Links in hypertext are new in that they can be followed automatically.
SQLite is different in that copyright law simply does not apply.

Thank you.

Jay

There is an implicit 'the respect' before the that:
Links in hypertext are new in the respect that they can be followed automatically.
Or even
Links in hypertext are new in this respect: that they can be followed automatically.

b