From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.4.4 (2020-01-24) on polar.synack.me X-Spam-Level: X-Spam-Status: No, score=-0.3 required=5.0 tests=BAYES_00, REPLYTO_WITHOUT_TO_CC autolearn=no autolearn_force=no version=3.4.4 X-Google-Language: ENGLISH,ASCII-7-bit X-Google-Thread: 10ad19,23963231b5359f74 X-Google-Attributes: gid10ad19,public X-Google-Thread: 101deb,23963231b5359f74 X-Google-Attributes: gid101deb,public X-Google-Thread: 10a146,23963231b5359f74 X-Google-Attributes: gid10a146,public X-Google-Thread: 107a89,23963231b5359f74 X-Google-Attributes: gid107a89,public X-Google-Thread: 11440e,23963231b5359f74 X-Google-Attributes: gid11440e,public X-Google-Thread: 1073c2,23963231b5359f74 X-Google-Attributes: gid1073c2,public X-Google-Thread: 103376,23963231b5359f74 X-Google-Attributes: gid103376,public X-Google-ArrivalTime: 2001-05-27 14:36:06 PST Path: archiver1.google.com!newsfeed.google.com!sn-xit-03!supernews.com!freenix!fr.usenet-edu.net!usenet-edu.net!news-spur1.maxwell.syr.edu!news.maxwell.syr.edu!newsfeed.cwix.com!newscon01.news.prodigy.com!newsmst01.news.prodigy.com!prodigy.com!postmaster.news.prodigy.com!not-for-mail From: Gary Scott Newsgroups: comp.lang.ruby,comp.lang.ada,comp.lang.awk,comp.lang.clarion,comp.lang.java.programmer,comp.lang.pl1,comp.lang.vrml Subject: Re: Long names are doom ? Date: Sun, 27 May 2001 16:36:09 -0500 Organization: Home Message-ID: <3B117349.C3D61D5@flash.net> References: <3B0DBD4A.82943473@my-deja.net> <3B0DD011.88FCD00E@acm.org> <83WP6.3874$yc6.728572@news.xtra.co.nz> <3B1130B0.418BECBA@webnexus.com> <3B114F39.540DF7C1@flash.net> Reply-To: scottg@flash.net NNTP-Posting-Host: 64-48-222-84-ftw-01.cvx.algx.net Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Trace: newssvr05-en0.news.prodigy.com 990999054 6242077 64.48.222.84 (27 May 2001 21:30:54 GMT) X-Complaints-To: abuse@prodigy.net NNTP-Posting-Date: Sun, 27 May 2001 21:30:54 +0000 (UTC) X-Mailer: Mozilla 4.73 [en]C-DIAL (Win98; U) X-Accept-Language: en Xref: archiver1.google.com comp.lang.ruby:10020 comp.lang.ada:7820 comp.lang.awk:2621 comp.lang.clarion:20424 comp.lang.java.programmer:71168 comp.lang.pl1:672 comp.lang.vrml:3358 Date: 2001-05-27T16:36:09-05:00 List-Id: Jon Skeet wrote: > > Gary Scott wrote: > > > I have probably 500-1000 routines of this type virtually memorized > > (between GDDM and GINO) with many of the parameter types and value > > ranges memorized as well. Once you've been programming this way for 20 > > years, it isn't difficult at all to read the code. Obviously not easy > > for a novice or someone unfamiliar with the libraries to do so. > > And that last point is the killer one. How much of the time spent > looking at a program is done when it's in development, compared with > when it's in maintenance? How likely is it that you'll be the one doing > the maintenance? (In some cases, the answer *may* be "very likely", but > in far from all.) Very likely. When I die, the code goes with me. Virtually everything I write is an "engineering convenience" tool designed to improve efficiency of some analysis process. If I don't write them, engineers will likely just "do it the hard way". However, I still believe that it is quite easy to study a well designed, consistently designed API and pick it up very quickly, even with 6 character names. I did this in a very short time when switching from GDDM (about 500 API routines) to GINO (about 650 API routines). I just don't personally find this programming methodology that difficult or error prone (others may have different experiences obviously). I've never in 23+/- years had an error induced myself because of short name length restrictions. I've also never witnessed such an error in 20 years as a software/system test engineer with responsibility for root-cause-analysis, resolution coordination, and metrics generation of anomalies in 50+ multi-tens to hundreds of million $ projects (well maybe there was one that I don't remember, but it certainly wasn't a widespread occurrence). The Fortran standard committee is overworked as it is, let them focus on getting "OO" right for now and save this one (internal/external name lengths) for some future update. If it truly is such a big deal, then it will be addressed soon enough (relative to its importance). The end of off-topic stuff (I hope). > > -- > Jon Skeet - skeet@pobox.com > http://www.pobox.com/~skeet > If replying to the group, please don't mail me at the same time -- Gary Scott mailto:scottg@flash.net mailto:webmaster@fortranlib.com http://www.fortranlib.com Support the GNU Fortran G95 Project: http://g95.sourceforge.net