It is important to follow standard naming conventions when writing code. It increases clarity and readability. Thus, in the "Elements of Java Style," we are told to capitolize class names but not function names, etc. A recent elaboration on this basic idea was put forward by a colleague of mine (Adam French) and his associate (Andrew France).
The suggestion is that, in addition to other style considerations, your object oriented code should operate as follows:
- All variables should be named after Star Wars characters.
- All function names should be named after Star Trek characters.
- All classes should be named after Lord of the Rings characters.
Coding in this fashion will, obviously, require great discipline and nerdity, but in the end the resulting clarity will bring many rewards. And if you are planning to become ISO 9000 certified, remember to document this procedure.