From: bobduff@world.std.com (Robert A Duff)
Subject: Re: Not intended for use in medical,
Date: 1997/05/08
Date: 1997-05-08T00:00:00+00:00 [thread overview]
Message-ID: <E9vH6G.88E@world.std.com> (raw)
In-Reply-To: dewar.863062734@merv
In article <dewar.863062734@merv>, Robert Dewar <dewar@merv.cs.nyu.edu> wrote:
>There is something potentially wrong, which is that compact operation
>notations like this are most happy with short identifier names, as in
>
> a++;
>
>not nearly so pretty is
>
> Average_Daily_Rate_Of_Pay++;
Well, I suppose, but you could make the same argument about various
notations that *are* in Ada. E.g.:
Average_Daily_Rate_Of_Pay:=Some_Other_Big_Fat_Identifier_Name;
If I write it without spaces, the ":=" tends to get lost (compared to
"x:=y;"). If Ada had "++", I would probably write:
Average_Daily_Rate_Of_Pay ++ ;
which doesn't look so bad to me. Nor does:
Average_Daily_Rate_Of_Pay += 1;
which is certainly no worse in this regard than:
Average_Daily_Rate_Of_Pay := 1;
Instead of ++, I would be just as happy with:
Increment(Average_Daily_Rate_Of_Pay);
But my point was that the side-effect issue is more important than this
lexical stuff. I would object to:
Nice_Long_Array_Name[Increment(Nice_Long_Integer_Name)] := ...;
on the same basis (where this (evil) Increment both modifies its
argument, and returns a result). I realize I'm mixing Ada and C
notation there.
>Well of course this is not the only reason that C programmers so often
>favor short cryptic identifier names (and of course there is nothing in C
>which requires them), but it is a contributing factor!
Perhaps. Who knows? I think it's mainly a cultural thing -- everybody
does it that way, so new programmers learn to do it that way.
- Bob
next prev parent reply other threads:[~1997-05-08 0:00 UTC|newest]
Thread overview: 127+ messages / expand[flat|nested] mbox.gz Atom feed top
1997-04-23 0:00 Not intended for use in medical, Robert C. Leif, Ph.D.
1997-04-24 0:00 ` J. Florio
1997-04-25 0:00 ` Kevin Cline
1997-04-25 0:00 ` Robert Dewar
1997-04-25 0:00 ` Ken Garlington
1997-04-28 0:00 ` John Apa
1997-04-28 0:00 ` John M. Mills
1997-04-30 0:00 ` Larry Kilgallen
1997-05-02 0:00 ` Nick Roberts
1997-04-28 0:00 ` Robert Dewar
1997-04-29 0:00 ` Kaz Kylheku
1997-04-30 0:00 ` John Apa
[not found] ` <3367CE1E.5ED1@die_spammer.dasd.honeywell.com>
1997-05-01 0:00 ` Kaz Kylheku
1997-05-03 0:00 ` Simon Wright
1997-05-04 0:00 ` Kaz Kylheku
1997-05-04 0:00 ` Robert Dewar
1997-05-04 0:00 ` Richard Kenner
1997-05-05 0:00 ` Kaz Kylheku
1997-05-06 0:00 ` Kaz Kylheku
1997-05-06 0:00 ` Robert A Duff
1997-05-07 0:00 ` Kaz Kylheku
1997-05-08 0:00 ` Robert A Duff
1997-05-07 0:00 ` Robert Dewar
1997-05-08 0:00 ` Kaz Kylheku
1997-05-08 0:00 ` Robert Dewar
1997-05-09 0:00 ` Kaz Kylheku
1997-05-12 0:00 ` W. Wesley Groleau (Wes)
1997-05-12 0:00 ` John G. Volan
1997-05-14 0:00 ` Nick Roberts
1997-05-14 0:00 ` Robert Dewar
1997-05-14 0:00 ` Jeff Carter
[not found] ` <dewar.863632434@merv>
1997-05-15 0:00 ` Kaz Kylheku
1997-05-18 0:00 ` Robert Dewar
1997-05-15 0:00 ` Kaz Kylheku
1997-05-08 0:00 ` Robert A Duff [this message]
1997-05-09 0:00 ` Robert I. Eachus
1997-05-11 0:00 ` Robert Dewar
1997-05-11 0:00 ` Matthew Heaney
1997-05-12 0:00 ` Robert Dewar
1997-05-12 0:00 ` Matthew Heaney
1997-05-13 0:00 ` Jon S Anthony
1997-05-13 0:00 ` Matthew Heaney
1997-05-14 0:00 ` Robert Dewar
1997-05-14 0:00 ` Robert Dewar
1997-05-14 0:00 ` Robert Dewar
1997-05-14 0:00 ` Nick Roberts
1997-05-14 0:00 ` Robert Dewar
1997-05-15 0:00 ` W. Wesley Groleau (Wes)
1997-05-12 0:00 ` Robert I. Eachus
1997-05-13 0:00 ` Robert Dewar
1997-05-14 0:00 ` Nick Roberts
1997-05-14 0:00 ` Robert Dewar
[not found] ` <01bc6182$30e3a7c0$LocalHost@xhv46.dial.pipex.com>
1997-05-16 0:00 ` Robert Dewar
1997-05-16 0:00 ` Robert A Duff
1997-05-16 0:00 ` Robert I. Eachus
1997-05-18 0:00 ` Nick Roberts
1997-05-18 0:00 ` Matthew Heaney
1997-05-19 0:00 ` Robert A Duff
1997-05-19 0:00 ` Robert I. Eachus
1997-05-19 0:00 ` Matthew Heaney
1997-05-20 0:00 ` Nick Roberts
1997-05-20 0:00 ` Matthew Heaney
1997-05-21 0:00 ` Dale Stanbrough
1997-05-08 0:00 ` John G. Volan
1997-05-10 0:00 ` Robert Dewar
1997-05-10 0:00 ` John G. Volan
1997-05-11 0:00 ` Robert Dewar
1997-05-11 0:00 ` John G. Volan
1997-05-11 0:00 ` Robert A Duff
1997-05-12 0:00 ` Robert Dewar
1997-05-12 0:00 ` John G. Volan
1997-05-11 0:00 ` John G. Volan
1997-05-11 0:00 ` Robert Dewar
1997-05-12 0:00 ` John G. Volan
1997-05-12 0:00 ` Robert Dewar
1997-05-17 0:00 ` Robert I. Eachus
[not found] ` <dewar.863877808@merv>
1997-05-17 0:00 ` Robert Dewar
1997-05-17 0:00 ` Jon S Anthony
1997-05-21 0:00 ` Syntax for tagged record types (was Re: Not intended for use in medical,) Ben Brosgol
1997-05-20 0:00 ` Matthew Heaney
1997-05-21 0:00 ` Syntax for tagged record types and class types Mats Weber
1997-05-21 0:00 ` Matthew Heaney
1997-05-22 0:00 ` Mats Weber
1997-05-27 0:00 ` Tucker Taft
1997-05-30 0:00 ` Mats.Weber
1997-05-22 0:00 ` Samuel A. Mize
1997-05-22 0:00 ` Samuel A. Mize
1997-05-23 0:00 ` Mats Weber
1997-05-21 0:00 ` Syntax for tagged record types (was Re: Not intended for use in medical,) Jon S Anthony
1997-05-21 0:00 ` Matthew Heaney
1997-05-22 0:00 ` Robert I. Eachus
1997-05-25 0:00 ` Matthew Heaney
1997-05-28 0:00 ` Robert I. Eachus
1997-05-23 0:00 ` Jon S Anthony
1997-05-23 0:00 ` Simon Wright
1997-05-23 0:00 ` Matthew Heaney
1997-05-25 0:00 ` Jon S Anthony
1997-05-28 0:00 ` Syntax for tagged record types (was Re David Kristola
[not found] ` <mheaney-ya023680002005972314260001@news.ni.net <mheaney-ya023680002105972302430001@news.ni.net>
1997-05-22 0:00 ` Syntax for tagged record types (was Re: Not intended for use in medical,) Robert A Duff
1997-05-22 0:00 ` John G. Volan
1997-05-23 0:00 ` Jon S Anthony
1997-05-23 0:00 ` Matthew Heaney
1997-05-23 0:00 ` Jon S Anthony
1997-05-23 0:00 ` Matthew Heaney
1997-05-25 0:00 ` Robert Dewar
1997-05-25 0:00 ` Jon S Anthony
1997-05-27 0:00 ` Ray Blaak
1997-05-23 0:00 ` John G. Volan
1997-05-24 0:00 ` Robert A Duff
1997-05-24 0:00 ` Matthew Heaney
1997-05-28 0:00 ` Robert I. Eachus
1997-05-25 0:00 ` Jon S Anthony
1997-05-12 0:00 ` Not intended for use in medical, John G. Volan
1997-05-12 0:00 ` Language Design Mistakes (was "not intended...") W. Wesley Groleau (Wes)
1997-05-13 0:00 ` Robert Dewar
1997-05-13 0:00 ` Robert A Duff
1997-05-14 0:00 ` Robert Dewar
1997-05-13 0:00 ` W. Wesley Groleau (Wes)
1997-05-04 0:00 ` Not intended for use in medical, Richard Kenner
1997-05-04 0:00 ` Robert Dewar
-- strict thread matches above, loose matches on Subject: below --
1997-04-25 0:00 Robert C. Leif, Ph.D.
1997-05-12 0:00 Marin David Condic, 561.796.8997, M/S 731-93
1997-05-13 0:00 ` Robert Dewar
1997-05-14 0:00 tmoran
1997-05-14 0:00 Marin David Condic, 561.796.8997, M/S 731-93
1997-05-14 0:00 Marin David Condic, 561.796.8997, M/S 731-93
1997-05-19 0:00 Robert C. Leif, Ph.D.
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