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From: "W. Wesley Groleau (Wes)" <see.signature@this.message>
Subject: Re: Warning: Religious naming convention discussion :-) [was: assign
 help!!]
Date: 1997/05/12
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 <1997May7.201035.2439@nosc.mil> <33727EEA.2092@sprintmail.com>
Organization: Hughes Defense Communications
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Date: 1997-05-12T00:00:00+00:00
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> .... distinction between "general" 
> and "specific" nouns is quite ambiguous and subjective, depending on

True, when you have a spectrum from general to specific, people will
disagree on where the middle is.  That does not invalidate the 
guideline.  "Fido" is more specific than "Dog" which is more specific 
than "Quadruped".  But I wouldn't accuse you of violating the guideline
if you said 
   Fido : Dog;
instead of
   Dog : Quadruped;

> context and point of view. It may take a lot of effort and hours spent
> poring over Roget's Thesaurus hunting for synonyms, and then more

I can not remember ever in ten years of Ada work having to spend hours
poring over a thesaurus!  (But congratulations for knowing the
difference between "poring" and "pouring")

> agonized hours deciding  which synonym is more "general" ....

Nor have I ever done this.  See Quadruped .. Fido above

> "specific". And for what? A percentage of your readers would've made 
> the opposite decision you made, so where does that leave readability?

The fact that I would have chosen

    Fido : Dog;

does NOT mean I would have trouble comprehending

    Dog : Quadruped;

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    Wes Groleau, Hughes Defense Communications, Fort Wayne, IN USA
Senior Software Engineer - AFATDS                  Tool-smith Wanna-be

  w w g r o l  at  p s e u l t 0 1  dot  f w  dot  h a c  dot  c o m

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