Case-sensitivity: why -- or why not? (was Re: Damnation!)

[Phylo Kramer]

On Fri, 09 Jun 2000, Phil Fraering wrote:
>Guido van Rossum <guido at python.org> writes:
>
>> Yet, here are some of the reasons why I am considering making Python
>> case-insensitive:
>> 
>> (1) Randy Pausch, a professor at CMU, found, when teaching Python to
>> non-CS students in the context of Alice (www.alice.org), that the
>> number one problem his students were having was to remember that case
>> matters in Python.  (The number two problem was 1/2 == 0; there was no
>> significalt number three problem.)
>
>> (2) I've met many people who are experienced and accomplished Python
>> programmers but who still, when referring to Python modules or
>> functions in an informal context (e.g. email), make up their own case
>> conventions.  E.g. people will write me about the String module or
>> about FTPLib.
>> 

Forgive a newbie for jumping in here,
After reading a couple of books and some of the online material I sat down and
rewrote many of my old Perl scripts. I had to refer to the docs on only one
occasion. I was able to write nearly perfect code on the first try. Amazing!
But when I reached into the library for certain modules I had to constantly
refer to the docs because I could not remember if it was "selectColor" or
"SelectColor","BaseHTTPServer" or baseHTTPserver".

Because Python has such a low learning curve, it seems that many developers
see it as a macro language for their particular favorite. Java programmers use
Java conventions, Perl programmers use Perl, TCL for TCL, C++ for C++, etc. In
the long arduous path to learning any of these languages, a new programmer
inherits the traditions of the teacher. But with a language that can be learned
in a day, there is no time to study convention.

Consistency is all that I ask for. 

_____
Pelon
pelonpelon at geocities.com