Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site ucsfcgl.UUCP Path: utzoo!linus!decvax!ucbvax!ucsfcgl!arnold From: arnold@ucsfcgl.UUCP (Ken Arnold%CGL) Newsgroups: net.lang Subject: Re: Alternative Structures Message-ID: <413@ucsfcgl.UUCP> Date: Fri, 21-Dec-84 16:19:01 EST Article-I.D.: ucsfcgl.413 Posted: Fri Dec 21 16:19:01 1984 Date-Received: Sun, 23-Dec-84 08:35:37 EST References: <8900018@uiucdcsb.UUCP> <18218@lanl.ARPA> Reply-To: arnold@ucsfcgl.UUCP (PUT YOUR NAME HERE) Organization: UCSF Computer Graphics Lab Lines: 16 Summary: In article <18218@lanl.ARPA> jlg@lanl.ARPA writes: >> Is there any reason that case can not be used to contain semantic >> information? > >The thing is, it's not really necessary for case to be distinguished, and >it can make code unreadable if it is adopted. Many people use entirely upper case names for macros always, and deletion of this would cause problems. And the INGRES project at Berkeley adopted a standard for case that I find very convenient. Global variables start with upper case letters; locals start with lower case letters. So, aside from breaking existing programs, eliminating case distinction also eliminates a useful band to carry semantic information. Ken Arnold