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From: rick@uwmacc.UUCP (the absurdist)
Newsgroups: net.lang.c
Subject: Re: Case distinction in var names
Message-ID: <455@uwmacc.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 9-Nov-84 20:49:23 EST
Article-I.D.: uwmacc.455
Posted: Fri Nov  9 20:49:23 1984
Date-Received: Sun, 11-Nov-84 20:03:53 EST
References: <4044@decwrl.UUCP> <9500013@iuvax.UUCP> <6164@mcvax.UUCP> <217@turing.UUCP>
Reply-To: rick@maccunix.UUCP (Rick Keir)
Organization: UWisconsin-Madison Academic Comp Center
Lines: 25
Summary: 

>  Okay, now you go try to transport a 32,000 line program that spells the
> same keyword/variable:
>  [...]
> and go try to locate all occurrances with a low IQ editor.

Fine:  you give me a program that is 32,000 lines long and uses capitalization
as a way of distinguishing variables and try and maintain it!
	Given the wealth of information concerning the difficulty of programmers
making distinctions between similarly spelled variable, why do language 
designers insist on giving us these damn case-sensitive languages, which
make it even more difficult to distinguish variables than before?
	Modula-2 is a prime candidate for offensiveness here;  for a language
written by someone who is concerned with program correctness to have such
a large hole in it seems wrong-headed in the extreme.  Ditto for short
variable names.
	Please, no comments on long variable vs. short:  we all know that 
long names break programs & short names are unreadable.  The real 
question is how long are we going to put up with this crap in NEW
languages.  The old ones will never be fixed.
:wq
-- 
Rick Keir -- MicroComputer Information Center, MACC
1210 West Dayton St/U Wisconsin Madison/Mad WI 53706

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