From: James Britt <jamesUNDERBARb@...>
Date: 2004-03-25T05:03:17+09:00
Subject: Re: proposal - enforce lower_case for variables and methods

Simon Strandgaard wrote:
> I am very curious to know where mixed case can be useful.
> I have a short section about Ruby's naming conventions, but having
> big trouble explaining why Uppercase letters is allowed in varnames and
> methods. 

Interesting perspective.   I would think that such explanations would 
only be needed when Ruby allows something that seems to contradict some 
fundamental language construct.  Otherwise, users should assume they are 
free to do as they like, rather than think they need permission to do 
something.

For example, I at first assumed that a class name could be anything I 
wanted. I found out that was false, but that there's a particular reason 
for it; it's part of the Ruby ground rules, and it allows the 
interpreter to make certain assumptions about your code, such that other 
things are either easier to do (or simply possible).

In general, I expect that if a language prevents me from doing something 
it's because the restriction buys me greater freedom someplace else.

That may be the case for adding more restrictions to method name 
formats, but I've yet to see a compelling argument.

(I've read some discussion threads [not here] about proposed changes to 
Sun's Java(tm), and they often concern *removing* restrictions; the 
typical response to these requests is that they shouldn't be allowed, 
because user's can't be trusted with too much freedom.  Pretty funny.)

> But I should probably write something about its because Ruby aims
> to be nice to Java people ;-)

Close; it's because Ruby aims to be nice to *all* people.


James