Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!rutgers!uwvax!umn-d-ub!umn-cs!ns!ddb From: ddb@ns.network.com (David Dyer-Bennet) Newsgroups: comp.lang.c Subject: Re: case sensitivity Message-ID: <1332@ns.network.com> Date: 27 Apr 89 21:30:00 GMT References: <13159@dartvax.Dartmouth.EDU> <1989Apr21.194615.5344@utzoo.uucp> <1320@ns.network.com> <319.nlhp3@oracle.nl> Reply-To: ddb@ns.UUCP (David Dyer-Bennet) Organization: Terrabit Software Lines: 17 In article <319.nlhp3@oracle.nl> bengsig@oracle.nl (Bjorn Engsig) writes: :What does the use of upper and lower case in English has to do with C :programming? The skill of reading, learned over 12 or so years sometimes even before you ever write a computer program, is heavily used when writing (and particularly when modifying) computer programs. My argument is that changing the "reading rules" of the language, particularly, in this case, the rules about case sensitivity, set up an unnecessary barrier to people trying to acquire the programming skill, and continue to cause at least low-level cognitive dissonance for some time (many years) after you've surmounted the initial hurdle. -- David Dyer-Bennet, ddb@terrabit.fidonet.org, or ddb@ns.network.com or ddb@Lynx.MN.Org, ...{amdahl,hpda}!bungia!viper!ddb or ...!{rutgers!dayton | amdahl!ems | uunet!rosevax}!umn-cs!ns!ddb or Fidonet 1:282/341.0, (612) 721-8967 9600hst/2400/1200/300