Why do some people use apostrophies in variable names?
Deskin, Bob
Bob.Deskin@Cognos.COM
Fri, 14 May 2004 06:28:12 -0400
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I should break out my book on a Programming Languages - History but it =
was written in 1969 - seriously :-)
=20
True, PowerHouse has some roots in COBOL. PowerHouse started on the =
HP1000 (yes 1000) moving to the HP3000 and COBOL was the dominant =
business application language. If you look at the original dictionary, =
QSCHEMA, it used COBOL-like constructs for datatype sizes. It was also =
English-like again designed to appeal to COBOL users.
Bob Deskin =20
Product Manager, Application Development Tools=20
Cognos Inc. 3755 Riverside Drive, Ottawa ON K1G 4K9 CANADA=20
bob.deskin@cognos.com (613) 738-1338 ext 7268=20
-----Original Message-----
From: powerh-l-admin@lists.sowder.com =
[mailto:powerh-l-admin@lists.sowder.com]On Behalf Of Jon Hawks
Sent: May 13, 2004 7:47 PM
To: Joe Boyle; powerh-l@lists.sowder.com
Subject: RE: Why do some people use apostrophies in variable names?
Hello All,
Once upon a time back in the 1970's and 1980's software development =
tools were proliferating across platforms. Nothing unusual in this early =
time, syntax bound languages differentiated themselves by these little =
quirks. A few college profs and students joined in and not suprising =
they still have a few lines of code running around. Let's see, =
Powerhouse remained consistent. Ingres/OSL was spawned by Stonebreaker =
and Butterworth, and Butterworth went on to create Forte. Basic turned =
into Perl and Pascal turned into Delphi. SPL sadly died but a couple =
techies, I surmise, added to a little funny language of late called =
Java. Almost verbatim in many aspects. We saw script languages =
proliferate for PC based activities and watch apostrophe's, comma's, =
periods, #, and $ come about as part of syntax and oddly many simply =
were used in place of the same command as some other vendor, who =
capitalize on some other character. The > sign seems to have made it's =
way as the prompt in ! place of the old bang sign !. The octal character =
% has taken on peculiar meaning across platforms and the & and - may =
still have a use as a line continuation character. Funny how these roots =
make their way to looking new, especially to new comers in the last 15 =
years or so. Separation characters have settled in some with the comma, =
| pipe and tab. Some languages even permit you to define your own =
character set for these. Many languages, even Powerhouse, find their =
roots in good old COBOL. Take a look at an old manual. Anybody have an =
idea what happened to Fortran? C still has a life in engineering and C++ =
has a life in code generators. I still now and then wonder what happened =
to A and APL. And the SQL language is still trying to make a way to be a =
transaction based code-set. I guess applying cartesian algebra to =
datasets has gone by the wayside in favor of practical extracts. Who =
knows what's next?
=20
The Old Man,
=20
Jon Hawks
Joe Boyle <joeboyle_adt@hotmail.com> wrote:
they do say that column names should be kept short - for parsing =
performance ? - but I don't know if this is limited to relational =
databases or if it includes the IMAGE database :)
>From: Robert Edis <robeconsult@sbcglobal.net>=20
>To: PowerHouse List <powerh-l@lists.sowder.com>=20
>Subject: RE: Why do some people use apostrophies in variable names?=20
>Date: Tue, 11 May 2004 12:37:12 -0700 (PDT)=20
>=20
>Was that the variable '_' or a one char string containing the =
underscore character? :)=20
>=20
>Joe Boyle <joeboyle_adt@hotmail.com> wrote:=20
>could it be that you don't have to press the shift key all of the time =
? :-)=20
>=20
>It's also often used on VMS platforms and I'd use it in place of the =
'_' if databases accepted it.=20
>=20
>=20
>=20
> >From: "Deskin, Bob" <Bob.Deskin@cognos.com>=20
> >To: "Robert Edis" <robeconsult@sbcglobal.net>, "PowerHouse List" =
<powerh-l@lists.sowder.com>=20
> >Subject: RE: Why do some people use apostrophies in variable names?=20
> >Date: Mon, 10 May 2004 21:56:30 -0400=20
> >=20
> >The single quote is one of the default special characters allowed in =
PowerHouse names. I'd have to check, but it may be allowed in IMAGE =
names as well which is why it would have been included. Similarly, IMAGE =
allows hyphens but not underscores. Since PowerHouse started on MPE and =
IMAGE was big, well, that's the history.=20
> >Bob Deskin=20
> >Product Manager, Application Development Tools=20
> >Cognos Inc. 3755 Riverside Drive, Ottawa ON K1G 4K9 CANADA=20
> >bob.deskin@cognos.com (613) 738-1338 ext 7268=20
> >=20
> >-----Original Message-----=20
> >From: powerh-l-admin@lists.sowder.com =
[mailto:powerh-l-admin@lists.sowder.com]On Behalf Of Robert Edis=20
> >Sent: May 10, 2004 8:09 PM=20
> >To: PowerHouse List=20
> >Subject: Why do some people use apostrophies in variable names?=20
> >=20
> >=20
> >I've seen a number of people use apostrophies in field names with =
PowerHouse. WHY????=20
> >=20
> >They confuse the heck out of me when trying to visually parse code as =
they can be mistaken for the beginning or ending of the string litteral. =
> >=20
> >What's wrong with using under[score|bar]s? Much more readable.=20
> >=20
> >Blue=20
> >=20
> > This message may contain privileged and/or confidential =
information. If you have received this e-mail in error or are not the =
intended recipient, you may not use, copy, disseminate or distribute it; =
do not open any attachments, delete it immediately from your system and =
notify the sender promptly by e-mail that you have done so. Thank you.=20
> >=20
>=20
>=20
>=20
>---------------------------------=20
>Have more fun with your phone - download ringtones, logos, =
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>=20
>=20
>Robert JM Edis=20
>Principle Consultant=20
>Robert Edis Consulting=20
>P.O. Box 676=20
>Deerfield IL 60015=20
>USA=20
>1-847-612-3863=20
>RobEConsult@sbcglobal.net=20
>=20
=3D =3D =3D =3D =3D =3D =3D =3D =3D =3D =3D =3D =3D =3D =3D =3D =3D =3D =
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<BODY>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial color=3D#0000ff size=3D2><SPAN =
class=3D753162110-14052004>I=20
should break out my book on a Programming Languages - History but =
it was=20
written in 1969 - seriously :-)</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial color=3D#0000ff size=3D2><SPAN=20
class=3D753162110-14052004></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial color=3D#0000ff size=3D2><SPAN =
class=3D753162110-14052004>True,=20
PowerHouse has some roots in COBOL. PowerHouse started on the HP1000 =
(yes 1000)=20
moving to the HP3000 and COBOL was the dominant business application =
language.=20
If you look at the original dictionary, QSCHEMA, it used COBOL-like =
constructs=20
for datatype sizes. It was also English-like again designed to appeal to =
COBOL=20
users.</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial color=3D#0000ff size=3D2><SPAN =
class=3D753162110-14052004>
<P><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Bob=20
Deskin &=
nbsp; =20
</FONT><BR><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Product Manager</FONT><FONT =
face=3DArial=20
size=3D2>,</FONT> <FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Application Development =
Tools</FONT>=20
<BR><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Cognos Inc.</FONT><FONT face=3DArial =
size=3D2></FONT>=20
<FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>3755 Riverside Drive</FONT><FONT =
face=3DArial=20
size=3D2>,</FONT> <FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Ottawa ON K1G 4K9 =
CANADA</FONT>=20
<BR><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>bob.deskin@cognos.com</FONT><FONT =
face=3DArial=20
size=3D2></FONT> <FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>(613) 738-1338 ext</FONT> =
<FONT=20
face=3DArial size=3D2>7268</FONT> </P></SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE>
<DIV class=3DOutlookMessageHeader dir=3Dltr align=3Dleft><FONT =
face=3DTahoma=20
size=3D2>-----Original Message-----<BR><B>From:</B>=20
powerh-l-admin@lists.sowder.com =
[mailto:powerh-l-admin@lists.sowder.com]<B>On=20
Behalf Of </B>Jon Hawks<BR><B>Sent:</B> May 13, 2004 7:47 =
PM<BR><B>To:</B> Joe=20
Boyle; powerh-l@lists.sowder.com<BR><B>Subject:</B> RE: Why do some =
people use=20
apostrophies in variable names?<BR><BR></FONT></DIV>
<DIV>Hello All,</DIV>
<DIV>Once upon a time back in the 1970's and 1980's software =
development tools=20
were proliferating across platforms. Nothing unusual in this early =
time,=20
syntax bound languages differentiated themselves by these little =
quirks. A few=20
college profs and students joined in and not suprising they still have =
a few=20
lines of code running around. Let's see, Powerhouse remained =
consistent.=20
Ingres/OSL was spawned by Stonebreaker and Butterworth, and =
Butterworth went=20
on to create Forte. Basic turned into Perl and Pascal turned into =
Delphi. SPL=20
sadly died but a couple techies, I surmise, added to a little funny =
language=20
of late called Java. Almost verbatim in many aspects. We saw script =
languages=20
proliferate for PC based activities and watch apostrophe's, comma's, =
periods,=20
#, and $ come about as part of syntax and oddly many simply were used =
in place=20
of the same command as some other vendor, who capitalize on some other =
character. The > sign seems to have made it's way as the prompt in =
! place=20
of the old bang sign !. The octal character % has taken on peculiar =
meaning=20
across platforms and the & and - may still have a use as a line=20
continuation character. Funny how these roots make their way to =
looking new,=20
especially to new comers in the last 15 years or so. Separation =
characters=20
have settled in some with the comma, | pipe and tab. Some languages =
even=20
permit you to define your own character set for these. Many languages, =
even=20
Powerhouse, find their roots in good old COBOL. Take a look at an old =
manual.=20
Anybody have an idea what happened to Fortran? C still has a life in=20
engineering and C++ has a life in code generators. I still now and =
then wonder=20
what happened to A and APL. And the SQL language is still trying to =
make a way=20
to be a transaction based code-set. I guess applying cartesian algebra =
to=20
datasets has gone by the wayside in favor of practical extracts. Who =
knows=20
what's next?</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>The Old Man,</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Jon Hawks<BR><BR><B><I>Joe Boyle =
<joeboyle_adt@hotmail.com></I></B>=20
wrote:</DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE class=3Dreplbq=20
style=3D"PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #1010ff 2px =
solid">
<DIV>
<DIV class=3DRTE>
<P>they do say that column names should be kept short - for =
parsing=20
performance ? - but I don't know if this is limited to =
relational=20
databases or if it includes the IMAGE =
database :)<BR><BR></P></DIV>
<DIV></DIV>>From: Robert Edis <robeconsult@sbcglobal.net>=20
<DIV></DIV>>To: PowerHouse List <powerh-l@lists.sowder.com> =
<DIV></DIV>>Subject: RE: Why do some people use apostrophies in =
variable=20
names?=20
<DIV></DIV>>Date: Tue, 11 May 2004 12:37:12 -0700 (PDT)=20
<DIV></DIV>>=20
<DIV></DIV>>Was that the variable '_' or a one char string =
containing the=20
underscore character? :)=20
<DIV></DIV>>=20
<DIV></DIV>>Joe Boyle <joeboyle_adt@hotmail.com> wrote:=20
<DIV></DIV>>could it be that you don't have to press the shift =
key all of=20
the time ? :-)=20
<DIV></DIV>>=20
<DIV></DIV>>It's also often used on VMS platforms and I'd use it =
in place=20
of the '_' if databases accepted it.=20
<DIV></DIV>>=20
<DIV></DIV>>=20
<DIV></DIV>>=20
<DIV></DIV>> >From: "Deskin, Bob" =
<Bob.Deskin@cognos.com>=20
<DIV></DIV>> >To: "Robert Edis"=20
<robeconsult@sbcglobal.net>, "PowerHouse List"=20
<powerh-l@lists.sowder.com>=20
<DIV></DIV>> >Subject: RE: Why do some people use apostrophies =
in=20
variable names?=20
<DIV></DIV>> >Date: Mon, 10 May 2004 21:56:30 -0400=20
<DIV></DIV>> >=20
<DIV></DIV>> >The single quote is one of the default special=20
characters allowed in PowerHouse names. I'd have to check, but it =
may be=20
allowed in IMAGE names as well which is why it would have been =
included.=20
Similarly, IMAGE allows hyphens but not underscores. Since =
PowerHouse=20
started on MPE and IMAGE was big, well, that's the history.=20
<DIV></DIV>> >Bob Deskin=20
<DIV></DIV>> >Product Manager, Application Development Tools=20
<DIV></DIV>> >Cognos Inc. 3755 Riverside Drive, Ottawa ON K1G =
4K9=20
CANADA=20
<DIV></DIV>> >bob.deskin@cognos.com (613) 738-1338 ext 7268=20
<DIV></DIV>> >=20
<DIV></DIV>> >-----Original Message-----=20
<DIV></DIV>> >From: powerh-l-admin@lists.sowder.com=20
[mailto:powerh-l-admin@lists.sowder.com]On Behalf Of Robert Edis=20
<DIV></DIV>> >Sent: May 10, 2004 8:09 PM=20
<DIV></DIV>> >To: PowerHouse List=20
<DIV></DIV>> >Subject: Why do some people use apostrophies in =
variable=20
names?=20
<DIV></DIV>> >=20
<DIV></DIV>> >=20
<DIV></DIV>> >I've seen a number of people use apostrophies in =
field=20
names with PowerHouse. WHY????=20
<DIV></DIV>> >=20
<DIV></DIV>> >They confuse the heck out of me when trying to =
visually=20
parse code as they can be mistaken for the beginning or ending of =
the string=20
litteral.=20
<DIV></DIV>> >=20
<DIV></DIV>> >What's wrong with using=20
under[score|bar]s? Much more readable.=20
<DIV></DIV>> >=20
<DIV></DIV>> >Blue=20
<DIV></DIV>> >=20
<DIV></DIV>> =
> This=20
message may contain privileged and/or confidential=20
information. If you have received this e-mail in error or =
are not=20
the intended recipient, you may not use, copy, disseminate or =
distribute it;=20
do not open any attachments, delete it immediately from your system =
and=20
notify the sender promptly by e-mail that you have done =
so. Thank=20
you.=20
<DIV></DIV>> >=20
<DIV></DIV>>=20
<DIV></DIV>>=20
<DIV></DIV>>=20
<DIV></DIV>>---------------------------------=20
<DIV></DIV>>Have more fun with your phone - download ringtones, =
logos,=20
screensavers, games & more. Click here to begin! =3D =3D =3D =3D =
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Mailing list: powerh-l@lists.sowder.com=20
Subscribe: "subscribe" in message body to =
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Unsubscribe: "unsubscribe=20
<DIV></DIV>>" in message body to =
powerh-l-request@lists.sowder.com=20
http://lists.sowder.com/mailman/listinfo/powerh-l This list is =
closed, thus=20
to post to the list you must be a subscriber.=20
<DIV></DIV>>=20
<DIV></DIV>>=20
<DIV></DIV>>Robert JM Edis=20
<DIV></DIV>>Principle Consultant=20
<DIV></DIV>>Robert Edis Consulting=20
<DIV></DIV>>P.O. Box 676=20
<DIV></DIV>>Deerfield IL 60015=20
<DIV></DIV>>USA=20
<DIV></DIV>>1-847-612-3863=20
<DIV></DIV>>RobEConsult@sbcglobal.net=20
<DIV></DIV>>=20
<DIV></DIV></DIV>=3D =3D =3D =3D =3D =3D =3D =3D =3D =3D =3D =3D =3D =
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Mailing list: powerh-l@lists.sowder.com Subscribe: "subscribe" in =
message=20
body to powerh-l-request@lists.sowder.com Unsubscribe: "unsubscribe=20
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