Case Sensitivity and Learnability

[Steve Holden]

Neel Krishnaswami wrote:
> 
> Well, I'd prefer Python to be case-insensitive, just as a matter of my
> own preference. Eyeball grep is for me basically case-insensitive, and
> I have spent hours trying to find bugs caused by case errors, because
> my eyes just slide over the difference.
> 
> Python is pretty good about reporting where the error occurred, so
> it's rarely more than 10 or 20 minutes of wasted time here, even when
> I just give up and rewrite all the code in question. It's still not
> fun though.
> 
> Neel

I suppose to be REALLY politically correct, we should provide compilers
which are convenient for those unfortunate enough to be dyslexic, and
allow programmers to write "klass" as a synonym for "class" and so on.

But of cors thiss wud jest git ridikerlus kwikli.

The bottom line, surely, is that programming languages are supposed to
have an unambiguous MEANING.  Learning to program is learning how to
represent that meaning.  As Robert Dewar said, "I'd rather make it
easier to write good programs than more difficult to write bad ones".
Beginners have to learn rules: or should we just let learner drivers
choose the side of the road they feel is more natural?

May I call you Neil?  Or Kneel?  Or even neel?  [Sorry: I know I'm bad]

regards
 Steve