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: 107a89,23963231b5359f74 X-Google-Attributes: gid107a89,public X-Google-Thread: 101deb,23963231b5359f74 X-Google-Attributes: gid101deb,public X-Google-Thread: 103376,23963231b5359f74 X-Google-Attributes: gid103376,public X-Google-Thread: 1073c2,23963231b5359f74 X-Google-Attributes: gid1073c2,public X-Google-Thread: 10a146,23963231b5359f74 X-Google-Attributes: gid10a146,public X-Google-Thread: 11440e,23963231b5359f74 X-Google-Attributes: gid11440e,public X-Google-ArrivalTime: 2001-05-25 18:44:51 PST Path: archiver1.google.com!newsfeed.google.com!sn-xit-02!supernews.com!news.gv.tsc.tdk.com!newsfeed.berkeley.edu!ucberkeley!intgwpad.nntp.telstra.net!newsfeeds.bigpond.com!not-for-mail From: robin 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 ? Message-ID: Date: Sat, 26 May 2001 01:27:16 GMT NNTP-Posting-Host: 144.134.49.177 X-Trace: newsfeeds.bigpond.com 990840436 144.134.49.177 (Sat, 26 May 2001 11:27:16 EST) NNTP-Posting-Date: Sat, 26 May 2001 11:27:16 EST Organization: Telstra BigPond Internet Services (http://www.bigpond.com) Xref: archiver1.google.com comp.lang.ruby:9938 comp.lang.ada:7792 comp.lang.awk:2605 comp.lang.clarion:20381 comp.lang.java.programmer:70946 comp.lang.pl1:644 comp.lang.vrml:3331 Date: 2001-05-26T01:27:16+00:00 List-Id: Patricia Shanahan writes: > > > That is the most important single point, and the reason why long > identifiers are a good thing to have available. > > Abbreviations in identifiers make them less memorable. For a given > concept, there is the full name and possibly several ways of > abbreviating it, and anyone using it has to remember which to use. I try > to avoid them in public names, including class names. > > Also, a consistent naming system makes names more memorable. > > Sometimes, very rarely, a consistent naming scheme can lead to a > situation in which limiting the name to e.g. 31 characters would require > it to either break its naming convention or have some components > abbreviated. > > For example, take a look at the constant names in > javax.accessibility.AccessibleContext. Names such as > "ACCESSIBLE_TABLE_COLUMN_DESCRIPTION_CHANGED" could be made shorter by > either abbreviating or not using a consistent scheme, but doing so would > make them harder to remember. In Fortran I suppose it would be called > something like ACCTABCOLDESCCHNGE. or ACC_TAB_COL_DESC_CHNGE > Patricia