Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/5/84; site uwmacc.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!allegra!mit-eddie!godot!harvard!seismo!uwvax!uwmacc!rick From: rick@uwmacc.UUCP (the absurdist) Newsgroups: net.lang Subject: Re: Alternative Structures Message-ID: <584@uwmacc.UUCP> Date: Tue, 18-Dec-84 17:59:47 EST Article-I.D.: uwmacc.584 Posted: Tue Dec 18 17:59:47 1984 Date-Received: Thu, 20-Dec-84 01:31:15 EST References: <8900018@uiucdcsb.UUCP> Reply-To: rick@uwmacc.UUCP (Rick Keir) Organization: UWisconsin-Madison Academic Comp Center Lines: 30 Summary: In article <8900018@uiucdcsb.UUCP> wsmith@uiucdcsb.UUCP writes: >Ordinary languages like C, Pascal, etc... either make no restrictions >on case of letters in identifiers, make both cases be the same, or they >require you to use only one case. > >Is there any reason that case can not be used to contain semantic >information? > Yes, an excellent reason. Not adding bugs to programs. I thought 30 years of research into programming design would be enough to encourage the languages of the 80s to be case-insensitive. Names of objects in a program need a LOT of perceived distance between them if you want to write readable (and bug-free) programs. This computer system, for example, knows that I am "rick" and not some variant of that name. On the other hand, human beings will completely fail to distinguish between "rick", "rich", "Rick", "Richard", etc. A human reading a program will have the same problem. In addition, use of upper-case specifically is a pain in the neck. For most type fonts, it is easy to show that reading the same passage in UPPERCASE IS MUCH MORE DIFFICULT THAN READING IT IN lower case. Lower case letters are easier to distinguish. -- "When I use a word, it means just what I choose it to mean -- neither more nor less" -- Humpty Dumpty, the noted linguist Rick Keir -- MicroComputer Information Center, MACC 1210 West Dayton St/U Wisconsin Madison/Mad WI 53706 {allegra, ihnp4, seismo}!uwvax!uwmacc!rick