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=-1.9 required=5.0 tests=BAYES_00 autolearn=ham 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: 11440e,23963231b5359f74 X-Google-Attributes: gid11440e,public X-Google-Thread: 1073c2,23963231b5359f74 X-Google-Attributes: gid1073c2,public X-Google-Thread: 107a89,23963231b5359f74 X-Google-Attributes: gid107a89,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-ArrivalTime: 2001-05-25 00:34:02 PST Path: archiver1.google.com!newsfeed.google.com!sn-xit-03!supernews.com!cyclone-sjo1.usenetserver.com!news-out-sjo.usenetserver.com!hub1.nntpserver.com!news-in.nibble.net!newsfeed01.sul.t-online.de!t-online.de!lnewspeer00.lnd.ops.eu.uu.net!lnewspost00.lnd.ops.eu.uu.net!emea.uu.net!not-for-mail From: Jon Skeet 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: Fri, 25 May 2001 08:32:33 +0100 Message-ID: References: <3B0DBD4A.82943473@my-deja.net> <3B0DD011.88FCD00E@acm.org> <9ekth1$49o$1@nnrp1.phx.gblx.net> Organization: Peramon Technology Ltd. X-Newsreader: MicroPlanet Gravity v2.30 NNTP-Posting-Host: fw.peramon.com X-Trace: 990775949 reading.news.pipex.net 12245 193.132.195.125 X-Complaints-To: abuse@uk.uu.net Xref: archiver1.google.com comp.lang.ruby:9886 comp.lang.ada:7754 comp.lang.awk:2587 comp.lang.clarion:20312 comp.lang.java.programmer:70607 comp.lang.pl1:631 comp.lang.vrml:3312 Date: 2001-05-25T08:32:33+01:00 List-Id: Jim Monty wrote: > Easily ninety percent of all Web users have no idea what any of > the abbreviations http, www, com, org, etc. stand for. But does > that make it harder for them to remember the URL www.mtv.com? > Imagine a typical URL spelled out in its entirety. It would be > absurdly long and unwieldy! > > We use abbreviations for various reasons, not the least of which > is as a mnemonic aid. This is certainly true of identifiers in > computer programming languages. Yes, we use abbreviations and acronyms for *common* things - but given a general long variable name, in many cases there won't be a "standard" abbreviation, so the author has to check each time or until they remember - and each poor maintenance programmer has to learn the same set of abbreviations! Abbreviations are fine when they're unambiguous and easily remembered, but not when there could be a dozen ways of abbreviating a long name. -- Jon Skeet - skeet@pobox.com http://www.pobox.com/~skeet If replying to the group, please don't mail me at the same time