Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!husc6!ut-sally!bcm!svedberg!rick
From: rick@svedberg.bcm.tmc.edu (Richard H. Miller)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.fortran
Subject: Re: Fortran 8x features, case sensitivity.
Message-ID: <1033@uni2.bcm.tmc.edu>
Date: 8 Mar 88 17:59:22 GMT
References: <500@a.UUCP>
Sender: usenet@bcm.tmc.edu
Lines: 25
Keywords: Standard review.
Summary: Case Sensitivity

In article <500@a.UUCP>, jlg@a.UUCP (Jim Giles) writes:
> 
> Since case sensitivity is not standard practice, it should only be included
> if it adds significantly to the functionality of the language.  Here again,
> it fails to meet the test.  In fact, it significantly reduces functionality
> in many contexts where people are relying on case insensitivity to make
> code more readible, to document code, or to process code automatically.
> 
> The only increase in functionality this feature would provide is marginal -
> making more possible user-definable names available.  But if 31 characters
> is not sufficient name space already, you've got other problems.

Another important consideration is how much existing code becomes
non-conforming by a proposed standard and the amount of trouble to make the
code conform. If case sensitivity becomes standard, there will be many programs
which have used case insensitivity to make them more readable will no
longer work. This will require a massive effort to make them work and will
certainly introduce a large number of very subtle bugs (VARa vs VarA). 



Richard H. Miller                 Email: rick@svedberg.bcm.tmc.edu
Head, System Support              Voice: (713)799-4511
Baylor College of Medicine        US Mail: One Baylor Plaza, 302H
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