Why make a language case sensitive?

[Anders Eggers-Krag]

I know that the VB IDE does this, but that is exactly because Microsoft
realised
that case sensitivity has advantages, and then they enforced case
sensitivity in a
way that is, agreed, in many ways smart. The real problem in Python does not
occur because of case sensitivity it occurs because you do not need to
declare
your variables. Case sensitivity is a good way way to keep the same case
across
different development platforms - the VB concept only works because if you
write
VB you use Microsofts VB IDE, not Ultra Edit, Emacs, notepad, Borland, you
name it.
Mircosofts system enforces IDE monopoly, which is anoying since I do not
like the Visual
studio IDE, I strongly prefer Borlands, or even better Ultra Edit.

And the VB IDE concept could easily be implementet in a case sensitive
language as well.

And one more thing, you do not need to remeber the case of any single
variable if you keep
a strict definition of how case should be used: in my case all new words
start with capital,
except the first word of a property, method or simple type - that way I am
never in doubt
as to 1: what type I am dealing with, 2: never in doubt as to what the case
is suposed to be used...

--
Anders Eggers - Krag

"Olivier Dagenais" <olivierS.dagenaisP at canadaA.comM> wrote in message
news:%%Rb5.109206$HK2.1930096 at news20.bellglobal.com...
> As a VB freak (or ex-thereof), I need to point out that the VB IDE will
> attempt to make all variables and keywords use the same case.  So, for
> example, "if" is always 'converted' as "If" and if you declare a variable
as
> such:
>
> Dim m_Spam As Long
>
> (which, BTW, the IDE would have 'fixed' the words 'Dim', 'As' and 'Long')
>
> and then you need to refer to m_Spam, you can type it without any
capitals,
> and when you move the cursor to another line, the IDE will look up the
> declaration and match the case of the new instance of the variable with
that
> of the declaration... For example, I type:
>
> m_spam = M_SPAM + 42  <ENTER>
>
> and it becomes:
>
> m_Spam = m_Spam + 42
>
> ...which keeps the readability.  (doesn't it?)  Also, now that I have this
> line of code, if I go back to the declaration and change 'm_Spam' to
> 'm_SpAm', all the references 'm_Spam' will now read 'm_SpAm'...
>
> So, I can't say that I agree with you when you say that forcing the user
to
> type the name correctly will improve readability, especially in the case
of
> Pyton when a mis-typed variable name results in a new binding being
created,
> and not a compile-time error, like in C.  I once read an "article" (more
> like a joke) on how to write really bad (obfuscated) C code, and one of
the
> "tips" was to mix the cases of the letters making up variable names....
>
> If you have a pre-processor or a powerful IDE (more like a compiler built
> into an IDE), you can achieve readability that is customized to the person
> reading and making a change in the "readability" of a name does not
require
> doing a [case-sensitive] find/replace.
>
> Let the user have only to remember the sequence of characters and let the
> computer find out (in a previous declaration or usage) how they should be
> capitalized.
>
> I love Python.  I hope case sensitivity doesn't stay around for too long.
> All it *really* allows you to have is something like a previous post,
where
> a file requires a close method with a small C and for a DB connection, a
> close method with a capital C:
>
> aFile.close()
> aConnection.Close()
>
> ...which just seems pretty silly to me, especially if you're someone
trying
> to use code from two different sources, and they have adopt similar
> conventions, except the case is different.  People just don't think like
> computers:  'a' and 'A' are the same letter, and you bring up a good
example
> in your last paragaph...
>
> --
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
> Olivier A. Dagenais - Carleton University - Computer Science III
>
>
> "Anders Eggers-Krag" <aek at aek.dk> wrote in message
> news:jbPb5.1245$bb.28195 at news101.telia.com...
> > I would say that it improves syntax consequense, leading to more
readable
> > code
> > for others, you are never in doubt about what to look for when looking
for
> a
> > keyword,
> >
> > in VB you might look for IF, If or if, and they look very different, and
> it
> > becomes a lot harder
> > to read somebody elses code.
> >
> > the case insensitivity is nice when I am the only one to read my code as
I
> > could then choose my
> > own obscure notation such as mYmetOd() and keep it consequent writing
dEf,
> > claSs, If eTc.
> > wheras case sensitivity makes it more natural to keep a more sensitive
> > manner such as myMethod()
> > MyMethod() or my_method() throughout that everyone can agree on, I
believe
> > that case sensitivity
> > leads to more uniform code, that again makes it easier to read your
> > collegues code. And i think it should
> > seem natural to everyone, after all books are written in case
sensitive...
> > you can't write: "i Am the wisEst
> > One of aLl." and be taken seriously
> >
> > But it depends on which kind of access is needed to the system ie it
would
> > be dreadfull if DNS
> > or SMTP servers were case sensitive and  user enters MicroSoft.com and
> gets
> > nowhere because
> > he should have written microsoft.com.
> >
> >
> > --
> > Anders Eggers - Krag
> >
> >
> > "Peter Timaratz" <timaratz at lisco.com> wrote in message
> > news:000801bfeda1$fcd99a20$6cb745c6 at timaratz...
> > > I can't think of any advantages to a case sensitive language. Python
is
> a
> > > very well-designed language though, so I imagine there is a good
reason
> > that
> > > it is case sensitive. So what are the advantages of a case sensitive
> > > language?
> > >
> > >
> >
> >
>
>