From: matz@... (Yukihiro Matsumoto)
Date: 2000-09-23T12:07:43+09:00
Subject: [ruby-talk:5080] Re: Ruby Book 2.18, Eng.tl, kesaran pasaran?

Hi,

In message "[ruby-talk:5076] Re: Ruby Book 2.18, Eng.tl, kesaran pasaran?"
    on 00/09/23, Jon Babcock <jon@kanji.com> writes:
|
|>>>>> "Yasushi" == Yasushi Shoji <yashi@yashi.com> writes:
|
|    >> I'm thinking of using 'abracadabra' for 'kesaran pasaran'
|    >> here???
|
|    > 'kesaran pasaran' made me think until i realized it's just
|    > non-sense words, even though i speak japanese. ;p
|
|    > abracadabra is much more common at least in the US, IMHO.
|    > --
|    >         yashi
|
|Well, I have to use something that a) the reader recognizes as
|nonsense and doesn't think is merely a mistake, and b) something that
|does not make him think it is a real word, but one that he doesn't
|recognize.
|
|Although abracadabra is a word, it obviously has no meaning in this
|context, and thereby satisfies my two conditions.
|
|So, I guess, until someone comes up with a better suggestion, it'll
|remain abracadabra. (Anyway, didn't Matz say somewhere that OO
|programming at some level enters the realm of black magic?)

I think the word `abracadabra' is OK here too.

Let me add a few notes.

'kesaran pasaran' is the name of Japanese folklore existence, which is
something like white `dust-bunny' (have you seen the Totoro movie?).

To tell the truth, I regret this sentence because it contradicts the
priciple of a true name, which is `a name, especially a good name is
as import as what it points'.  If you can choose a good name for
something you design, I believe you already accomplish 80% or 90% of
good design.

							matz.