Long names are doom ?

[Gareth McCaughan]

"Rainy" wrote:

> What's the big problem with implementing this:
> 
> my variable = 2
> 
> my result = my variable * 3
> 
> def my function(some variable):
>     return some variable / 8
> 
> ?
> 
> I know there is something seriously wrong with this, because otherwise
> it'd be done already in some language (and afaik it isn't). So what
> exactly is wrong?

It has been dpne. Algol 68 (maybe other versions of Algol too;
I don't know) permits variable names with spaces. As Alex said,
old FORTRAN systems just ignored whitespace, but that's not quite
the same.

I think I would find things like

  the result = first argument and unused bitmask
  if number in interesting numbers:

hard to read (the "and" on the first line, and the "in"
on the second, are keywords). Maybe in languages with
fewer keywords it might be different, but I doubt it.
There are almost bound to be keywords you'll want to
use as elements in names (some things that are keywords
in many languages: "for", "and", "if", "do", "class").
If the usual way of combining words to make names is
sticking spaces in between, then using those words
will be painful. In more "normal" languages we combine
words like_this, likeThis, like-this, like.this or
however, and then you don't get the inconsistency
and dislocation when you need to call a function
"do list loop if not in class". :-)

-- 
Gareth McCaughan  Gareth.McCaughan at pobox.com
.sig under construc