[Python-3000] Support for PEP 3131 (some links to evidence of usage within communities)

Guillaume Proux gproux+py3000 at gmail.com
Tue May 15 03:18:09 CEST 2007


Found some evidence of usage of identifiers in Japanese while doing a
quick google search

All links below are in Japanese.

* Ruby has support for Japanese identifiers (which is not unexpected
when you know the origin country of Ruby)
http://www.ruby-lang.org/ja/man/?cmd=view;name=%CA%D1%BF%F4%A4%C8%C4%EA%BF%F4
Notice that it says that this is only supported on a local basis.
(probably because Ruby cannot handle unicode natively). I also found
other people discussing their usage pattern of identifiers and
Japanese and they also report this is tremedously useful for beginners
especially when you need to read a stacktrace while debugging.


* Java has strong supporter of Japanese characters within identifiers.
  http://java-house.jp/ml/archive/j-h-b/032664.html#body

They comment that: using japanese improves readability unless used in
an extreme way (like changing a *for* loop to use インデクス instead of i)

One example they give is

-------------------------------------------
	i = revised(i);
とか、
        i = RevisedByMarubatuMethod(i);
とか、
        i = revised_by_marubatu_method(i);

と書くよりは、

        i = ○×方式による補正を行う(i);
-------------------------------------------
And of course think the last one is the best.....


Table of contents of "Visual J++ Applet Programming book"
http://www.hir-net.com/book/book18/contents.html
see "Chapter 2.2: You can use Japanese Identifiers !!!"


Discussion about variable naming and how being able to use Japanese
would solve many naming issues:
http://www.atmarkit.co.jp/bbs/phpBB/viewtopic.php?topic=13878&forum=3&start=8&15

Another one like this, where people explain that because it is
difficult to come up with good names in English they end up calling
everything : makeItem, doItem, addItem
http://www.atmarkit.co.jp/bbs/phpBB/viewtopic.php?mode=viewtopic&topic=18616&forum=7&start=0


And for fun, there is this interesting link about a programming
language "in Japanese", made for beginners (check this example...
awesome!):
  http://nadesi.com/doc/cmd/doc.cgi?mode=cmd&id=200

I am sure you can find a lot more evidence like this for each and
every language.
Letting people use their own script and vocabulary to name things will
make them better programmers in their own country/cultural reference
point. This will increase the audience and support for Python
worldwide.

I will be contacting Japanese python user group and let them know of
the current discussion.

Regards,

Guillaume


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