Language change and code breaks

[Merton Campbell Crockett]

On Sat, 21 Jul 2001, Grant Edwards wrote:

> On 19 Jul 2001 20:46:32 GMT, Tim Randolph <timothyrandolph at yahoo.com> wrote:
> 
> >As a member of this group, who is especially fond of Python for how easy it
> >is to pick up where I left off days or weeks before, I would very much
> >prefer a case *insensitive* language with tools that enforce *uniform* case
> >usage.

I'm looking at Python as a potential language to solve a problem with an
environment that is case-insensitive but case-preserving.

I strongly agree with the concept of tools such as editors and preprocessors
that enforce uniform usage for a particular user environment.  However, I am
just as strongly opposed to a case-insensitive compiler/interpreter and, in
particular, if it is case-preserving.

> >Nobody wants to see fOo and FOO and foo with the same meaning, but nobody
> >wants to see foo and FOO and foo at all in the same program with distinct
> >meanings.
> 
> That is simply not true.

For a language that has absconded with tokens that I have used in other
environments to infer relationships, I would find it highly desirable to use
case to provide relational and value information.  Of course the problem may
be that I am, simply, not object-oriented.  On the other hand, it could be
that my problem is that I haven't used a high-order language since my last
year at university when I took a Theory of Compilers course which now that I
think about it is 30 years ago.  Maybe there is something to this "old dogs
and new tricks" thing.

> >I also don't think the cutesy c=C() makes for readable code -- at
> >least for this sometime programmer.
> 
> I've been using foo and Foo to mean two different things for
> many years (and I know of lots of others do also). Perhaps it's
> not to your taste, but that doesn't make all of us "nobody".

Merton Campbell Crockett