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From: hardy@rb-dc1.UUCP (Jeff Hardy)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.c
Subject: Re: Just Wondering
Message-ID: <474@rb-dc1.UUCP>
Date: 25 Apr 89 19:07:50 GMT
References: <13159@dartvax.Dartmouth.EDU> <10088@smoke.BRL.MIL> <1314@ns.network.com>
Reply-To: hardy@rb-dc1.SanDiego.gould.UUCP (Jeff Hardy)
Organization: Gould CSD, San Diego
Lines: 25

I've heard many arguments in this discussion group that state that allowing
case sensitivity is HARD. I believe that HARD is like BEAUTY and is in the
eye of the beholder. What is HARD for you MAY be EASY for me and what is
HARD for me MAY be EASY for you. I don't believe that Dennis designed
C to be HARD. I don't believe that HARDness is an attribute of the language
at all. Many people have brought out the useful fact that case sensistivity
allows another means of conveying information. Why preclude that means
simply because to some it is HARD. I dare say that if we prevented early on
anything that is HARD, we wouldn't be where we are today. What we DO need
however is the recognition that to some it is indeed HARD and as others
have brought out it is our responsibility to try not to be arbitrarily
HARD on others. Clear documentation should help in some degree. Perhaps
well understood conventions will help also.
Also, I do not necessarily map UPPERCASE to lowercase in order to understand
some word. I believe that my thought processes are more mature than that.
I also do not move my lips when I read. People who learn more than one
language learn to think in the other languages too. They do not have to
translate into their mother tongue to understand what is being said. I'm sure
this can be appliled to programming languages as well. The mental
translation and HARDness pass away with experience and growth. To deny
ourselves the HARDness is to deny our capacity for growth.
Jeesh, I'm really sorry for the sermon :-), but this did seem to border on
the religious.
			Cheers,
			Jeff Hardy