Re: [Ocaml-lib-devel] MList name (was: ExtLib v0.1o)

[William D. N. <wne...@cs...>]

On Tue, 4 Mar 2003, Amit Dubey wrote:

>     I agree that Mutable_List isn't good: the underscore
> is unnecessary.

Yeah.  I'm guessing the reason the underscore keeps creeping in is because
of the OCaml team's use of underscores in their function names.  Of course
they don't use underscores in the one module they could have, StdLabels.
(Well, they could also have used them in Genlex, Nativeint, and Printexec,
but they didn't use any "word separation" techniques there...)  So I agree
that underscores should be right out.  In the Apache voting style, I give:

-1.0 : Use of underscores in module names
-0.0 : Use of underscores in function names (it's a personal preference
to not use them, but I don't really care that much)

>     "MutList" fits the descriptive test, espcially if we have
> a lot of datastructures that come in mutable/non-mutable pairs.
> It does not, however, pass the intuitivity test.
                     <snip...>
>     Also, another problem with "Mut" is that it is just
> a strange contraction to make.  Using "Std" for "Standard" is
> common and easily understood.  "Ext" for "Extended" is OK.  But
> "Mut" for "Mutable" is a bit awkward, and not very common.
> (Mutbl might be OK, though).

Agreed.  Although I wouldn't get my panties in a bunch if MutList were
adopted.  And so, my vote on names (and the underlying naming rules) are
as follows:

+1.0 MutableList (fully descriptive, Modifier* Subject)
+0.5 MutblList (slightly abbreviated, Modifier* Subject)
+0.2 MutList (moderately abbreviated, Modifier* Subject)
-0.7 MList (fullly abbreviated, Modifier* Subject)
-0.2 ListMutable (fully descriptive, SubjectModifier*)
-0.7 ListMutbl (slightly abbreviated, Subject Modifier*)
-0.8 ListMut (moderately abbreviated, Subject Modifier*)
-1.0 ListM (fullly abbreviated, Subject Modifier*)

William D. Neumann

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