Re: Database naming convention (yet another post of it, but a bit different)

>> There's really no such thing as "wrong" in these conventions. <<

Some things are measurable and we did a lot of research on it in the 1970's when Software Engineering was big. We already had a lot of stuff on typographical errors from WWII and we went from there.

>> I used to use a DDL extraction tool ($ RMU/EXTRACT if anybody
cares) that
put all the datanames in uppercase, and all the SQL keywords in lower case. I got used to that, and I like it. <<

This is MEASURABLY wrong. It adds about 10-12% more time to maintaining code you have not seen before. Why? Lowercase is easier to read, while spelling mistakes in UPPERCASE are much harder to see. Uppercase words are seen as single units. Since the compiler checks the keywords, they cannot be misspelt in running code.

>> All keywords in C, C++, and Java are lower case, <<

Do you know why? Because C was implemented on a teletype by two finger typists. It is also why C has those weird symbols in it. I am dead serious about this. When you type on an electronic keyboard, you type from the knuckles
When you type on a manual keyboard, you type from the wrist. When you type on a teletype, you type from the elbow and have to push your finger straight down. When you type on a Linotype keyboard, you type from the shoulder (my grandfather ran a print shop).

C++, Java , et al inherited lowercase from C.

Did you know that the size of a solid fuel booster for NASA was determined by horse's asses? Literally. The Roman two horse chariot determined the ruts that became the Roman roads. Roman roads determined British railroad gauge; British railroad gauge determine American railroad gauge; American railroad gauge determined the size of tunnelsthru the Rocky Mountains and what you could transport by rail. Received on Thu Oct 10 2002 - 01:55:53 CEST