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 X-Google-Thread: 10ad19,23963231b5359f74 X-Google-Attributes: gid10ad19,public X-Google-Thread: 103376,23963231b5359f74 X-Google-Attributes: gid103376,public X-Google-Thread: 101deb,23963231b5359f74 X-Google-Attributes: gid101deb,public X-Google-Thread: 10a146,23963231b5359f74 X-Google-Attributes: gid10a146,public X-Google-Thread: 11440e,23963231b5359f74 X-Google-Attributes: gid11440e,public X-Google-Thread: 107a89,23963231b5359f74 X-Google-Attributes: gid107a89,public X-Google-Thread: 1073c2,23963231b5359f74 X-Google-Attributes: gid1073c2,public X-Google-ArrivalTime: 2001-06-11 03:50:09 PST Path: archiver1.google.com!newsfeed.google.com!sn-xit-02!sn-xit-01!supernews.com!grolier!newsfeed00.sul.t-online.de!t-online.de!newsfeed.r-kom.de!feeder01.news.de.uu.net!news-1.bank.dresdner.net!not-for-mail From: James Kanze 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: Commenting code Date: Mon, 11 Jun 2001 12:38:06 +0200 Organization: Dresdner Bank AG Message-ID: <3B249F8E.27C914E8@dresdner-bank.com> References: <9f8r0i$lu3$1@nh.pace.co.uk> <9fgagu$6ae$1@nh.pace.co.uk> <9fjgha$blf$1@nh.pace.co.uk> <35mqhtkdfma2rggv1htcaq6vfn2ihs67a1@4ax.com> <3B1E1452.BAFAAB7F@baesystems.com> <3B1E4B93.7FB8A94D@lmtas.lmco.com> <3B1F3704.C7E0D03A@brighton.ac.uk> <3B202E17.7C728B66@brighton.ac.uk> <5sf0itoauh0fi1nvq4ll5ljmh3u4fjope1@4ax.com> <3B20E02A.FEDAC2BD@dresdner-bank.com> <3B212003.EDCD1219@ftw.rsc.raytheon.com> Reply-To: default@dresdner-bank.com NNTP-Posting-Host: ffzj09tz.bank.dresdner.net Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit X-Mailer: Mozilla 4.7 [en]C-CCK-MCD drebazen10 (WinNT; I) X-Accept-Language: en,fr,de Xref: archiver1.google.com comp.lang.ruby:10543 comp.lang.ada:8530 comp.lang.awk:2973 comp.lang.clarion:21623 comp.lang.java.programmer:75232 comp.lang.pl1:963 comp.lang.vrml:3704 Date: 2001-06-11T12:38:06+02:00 List-Id: Wes Groleau wrote: > > > e.g. > > > getSecondInitial > > What does the function return for people who don't have a second > > initial? (FWIW: this is also an Americanism. In Europe, we don't > > use anything but the first name and the family name.) > What does it do for the numerous people who go by something like > W. Wesley Groleau? I find it incredible the number of people who > are convinced I don't know my own name. Generally speaking, people don't go by such names in Europe. You have a family name, which would be preceded by a Mr. (or Herr, or M.), and used to address you by people who don't know you very well. And you have a name which people who know you well call you -- do your friends call you W. Wesley, or something else. Thus, in America, I am generally "James A. Kanze", and people (including people who've just met me) try and call me Jim, whereas in Europe, I'm just "James Kanze" ; people who know me well call me "James", but for most people, I'm "Kanze", or "Mr. Kanze". > Or who think I am "uncooperative" because I won't have it legally > changed to support THEIR half-baked idea of a database. > Sure, it's unusual, but I am too civilized to criticize my parents > for choosing it. I'm not sure, but I would expect that most systems would allow a space and punctuation in the first name, if what you really want to be called is "W. Wesley". Note that most Europeans do have two first names. It's just rare for documents (or data bases) to use them. Once or twice, people have entered my name into the data base from my (American) passport; the result is that my first name appears as "James Albert" (often with a hyphen), as if it were a compound name (a frequent occurance in France). > Then there are the people who think I don't know how to SPELL my own > name and the people who design forms with two square centimeters for > your name and fifteen for your postal code ..... oh, well, let's > stay on topic. What about the web page designers who insist that the postal code comes after the city and state, and won't let you enter an address without a state? Or the ones that insist that a telephone number with an area code is exactly 10 digits? -- James Kanze mailto:kanze@gabi-soft.de Conseils en informatique orient�e objet/ Beratung in objektorientierter Datenverarbeitung Ziegelh�ttenweg 17a, 60598 Frankfurt, Germany Tel. +49(069)63198627