Re: Ada Operators in 9x

[cis.ohio-state.edu!math.ohio-state.edu!howland.reston.ans.net!agate!doc.i c.ac.uk!pipex!uknet!mucs!m1!bevan@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU (Stephen J Bevan)]

In article <1993Jun25.211211.231@seas.gwu.edu> mfeldman@seas.gwu.edu (Michael F
eldman) writes:
   But how would that happen if the language were case-sensitive? My case
   (no pun) in point is Modula-2, in which the reserved words MUST be in
   upper-case, which is no problem really, but additionally you can declare
   "q: Integer;  Q: Integer;" in the same block.

You can also write the whole program in one block, but that doesn't
mean you do it.  Case sensitivity has other uses other than as a
plaything for programmers with a perverse style.

   Suppose you _meant_ to write "q := 35;" but instead hit the shift
   key accidentally and wrote "Q := 35;" 

Then you'd be doubly dumb.  Once for declaring "q" and "Q" in the same
block and twice for being sloppy about typing.

   The same thing can happen in C, which is, I presume, why C programmers
   use lower case almost exclusively.

Maybe, but I think not.  I've seen (and written) plenty of C that used
mixed case; a common convention being that types have initial capitals
and variables are lower case.

   My single-keystroke error above would NOT be caught if the language were
   case-sensitive, but of course with Ada (like Pascal), the compiler
   would nail you for a doubly declated variable. I like this. I HATE
   single-keystroke errors that have big semantic effects, because I'm
   as really liusy typist. :-)

I'm not keen on single keystroke errors either, but _all_ languages
suffer from them and there are much more insidious ones than the case
problem.  For example, ever typed "a + 1" when you meant "a - 1"?
This is easily done in the midst of a big formula I can assure you.