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Re: setf.scm


Christian Lynbech writes:
> Mikael> I don't think it is arbitrary.  
> 
> Ok, perhaps it isn't completly arbitrary, but there is a range of
> possible choices and the problem is not unique to objects, so picking
> any particular one has elements of arbitrariness.
> 
> A former colleague taught me that what is a logical name to one person
> invariably is the opposite to somebody else. Thus *any* autogenerated
> name should be considered with great scepticism.

I think naming conventions are great things.  There's a certain
aesthetic to being able to use any name for anything you'd like, but
that aesthetic doesn't scale well.

Even if the choice of naming conventions is arbitrary (set-car!  or
vector-set! ?)  If *one* convention is put forward as the default
(autogenerated) then people will use it.  As people use it, it becomes
possible to guess names (which is a *very* useful thing).  Not because
the names are logical but because they are systematic and habitual.

If there is no default naming scheme then people will use what each
person thinks is logical -- and you are right, that varies
tremendously.  The resulting code created with ad-hoc naming systems
will be much harder to read and explore.



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< Ian Bicking                 |  bickiia@earlham.edu                >
< drawer #419 Earlham College |  http://www.cs.earlham.edu/~bickiia >
< Richmond, IN 47374          |  (765) 973-2824                     >
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