[Python-Dev] pep8 reasoning

[Robert Kern]

On 2014-04-24 14:59, Barry Warsaw wrote:

> I will say this: the original preference for underscore_names in PEP 8 was
> spurred by user studies some of our early non-native English speaking users
> conducted many years ago.  We learned that it was more difficult for many of
> them to parse mixedCase names than underscore_names.  I'm afraid I probably no
> longer have references to those studies, but the difference was pronounced,
> IIRC, and I think it's easy to see why.  Underscores can be scanned by the eye
> as spaces, while I'd hypothesize that the brain has to do more work to read
> mixedCase names.

A more recent set of studies show some mixedResults (ha ha). On a low-level 
reading task, the studies agree with yours in that mixedCase takes more time and 
effort; however, it appears to improve accuracy as well. On a higher-level 
comprehension task, mixedCase took less or the same time and still improved 
accuracy. Experienced programmers don't see too much of a difference either way, 
but inexperienced programmers see a more marked benefit to mixedCase.

   http://www.cs.loyola.edu/~binkley/papers/tr-loy110720.pdf‎

That said, I can't vouch for the experiments or the analysis, and it isn't 
really germane to Chris' historical question. I mention it only because I had 
just run across this paper last night, so it was fresh in my mind when you 
mentioned studies on the subject.

-- 
Robert Kern

"I have come to believe that the whole world is an enigma, a harmless enigma
  that is made terrible by our own mad attempt to interpret it as though it had
  an underlying truth."
   -- Umberto Eco