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From: dmg@ssc-vax (David M Geary)
Newsgroups: comp.object
Subject: Re: Functions without side effects (was Old confusion)
Message-ID: <4174@ssc-bee.ssc-vax.UUCP>
Date: 21 Jun 91 18:22:52 GMT
References: <1991Jun19.173 <KERS.91Jun20103727@cdollin.hpl.hp.com> <1991Jun21.013944.23970@netcom.COM>
Sender: news@ssc-vax.UUCP
Reply-To: dmg@ssc-vax.UUCP (David M Geary)
Organization: Boeing Aerospace & Electronics
Lines: 59

In article <1991Jun21.013944.23970@netcom.COM> jls@netcom.COM (Jim Showalter) writes:
akers@hplb.hpl.hp.com (Chris Dollin) writes:
]
]>I'd choose a different name for the procedure: this ensures that the
]>keyword-syntax cannot be accidently left out (not being there). Of course this
]>gets harder as the number of arguments increases.
]
]It gets unacceptably ugly as the number of arguments increases above 1, which
]means that in the typical case, you want named parameters:
]
]    Print (This_Comment => "I love named parameter names",
]           With_This_Spacing => 5,
]           On_This_Device => Devices.Laserprinter,
]           In_This_Font => Fonts.Helvetica);
]
]and so forth. I find this considerably better than a name like
]Print_Comment_With_Spacing_Device_and_Font_Toggles or some such.
]
]>It can be too verbose to *read* as well. If it makes code unecessarily large,
]>that is in and of itself a maintenance problem.
]
]Here we go again. The C equivalent of the above would typically look
]something like:
]
]    prnt("I love named parameter names",5,lsptr,hlvtca);
]
]This DOES take up less space. Is it more readable?
]

  Jim, Jim, Jim.  Come on now, play fair.  How about:

  prnt(/* This Comment      */  "I love *commented* parameter names",
       /* With This Spacing */  5,
       /* On This Device    */  lsptr,
       /* In This Font      */  hlvtca);

  BTW, why such wonderously readable *variable* names for the Ada
  example:

]    Print (This_Comment => "I love named parameter names",
]           With_This_Spacing => 5,
]           On_This_Device => Devices.Laserprinter,
                              ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
]           In_This_Font => Fonts.Helvetica);
                            ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
 and such terse variable names for the C example:

]    prnt("I love named parameter names",5,lsptr,hlvtca);
                                           ^^^^^^^^^^^^

  Oh, yeah, I forgot;  C is only used by a bunch of lowlife hackers
  who revel in unreadable code...


-- 
|~~~~~~~~~~       David Geary, Boeing Aerospace, Seattle, WA.       ~~~~~~~~~~|
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|~~~~~~  Seattle:  America's most attractive city... to the *jetstream* ~~~~~~|
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