Re: Case insensitivity

[billwolf@hubcap.clemson.edu (William Thomas Wolfe,2847,)]

From article <317@sagpd1.UUCP>, by banderso@sagpd1.UUCP (Bruce Anderson):
> My question is, does everyone think that the case-insensitivity of
> Ada is a positive feature and if so why? Personally, if I see a
> variable 'aBcDe' and another one 'AbCdE' they don't immediately strike
> me as being the same and is therefore confusing when they are.

    I think the basic idea is that variables of the forms described above
    are being deliberately discouraged.  Instead of User and useR, then, 
    one is forced to be more descriptive (Administrative_User, Student_User),
    thus enhancing the documentation of the program.

    A programming language does not exist only to PERMIT applications to be
    developed.  A good design must also take into account the fact that a
    language guides the way its users think and act.  By establishing certain
    possibilities as things which are necessary only for the purpose of 
    creating undesirable programs, and eliminating those potential modes of
    behavior, a language can help you to converge quickly on a high-quality 
    solution.  In this case, the quality metric is maximization of the extent 
    to which variable names are loaded with semantic information.  Two or more
    variables must either be collapsed into a single variable, or must be given
    different names, even if it's nothing more than User_1 and User_2. 

    Therefore, I see it as a positive feature, one which results in better
    programs.


    Bill Wolfe, wtwolfe@hubcap.clemson.edu