Rule for capitalization in a programming language

Question

I was wondering if anyone knows why some of the programming languages ​​that I see most often writing in all caps (for example, an acronym) are also usually written in lower case. FORTRAN, LISP, and COBOL come to mind, but I'm sure there are many more.

There may be no reason for this, but I am curious to find out if any of these changes are caused by the standards or decisions of their respective communities. Or are people just too lazy to put on the lock key? (I know what I am)

Answer 1

Some of them are related to the language version (i.e., FORTRAN 77 vs Fortran 90). From a Wikipedia entry in Fortran (emphasis added):

The names of earlier versions of the language through FORTRAN 77 were conditionally written in all caps (FORTRAN 77 was a version in which the use of lowercase letters in keywords was strictly non-standard). Capitalization was dropped due to newer versions starting with Fortran 90. The official language standards now refer to the language as "Fortran". Since the capitalization (or lack thereof) of the word FORTRAN has never been 100% consistent in actual use, and also because many of them have passionate beliefs in this matter, this article, and not an attempt to be normative, accepts the convention on the use of all caps FORTRAN, referring to FORTRAN versions through FORTRAN 77 and Fortran caps, referring to Fortran versions from Fortran 90 onwards. This convention is reflected in the capitalization of FORTRAN in the ANSI X3.9-1966 (FORTRAN 66) and ANSI X3.9-1978 (FORTRAN 77) and Fortran title caps in the ANSI X3.198-1992 (Fortran 90) standard.

When I see FORTRAN, I think it has a fixed interval, punch cards, non-dynamic memory and bad taste in the mouth. Fortran means things like custom types, modules, built-in array functions, and not so bad.

Answer 2

The Lisp community switched to Lisp with Lisp, with the invention of bottom cover keyboards shortly after humanity killed the last dinosaur.

Answer 3

FORTRAN, LISP and COBOL ARE:

FORTRAN: Translation / Translator of Formulas

LISP: LISt Processing

COBOL: Business Oriented Language COmmon

BASIC: Universal Beginner's Code Code

Among the others.

Answer 4

To add another to the list, MATLAB must be recorded using all caps. Since this is not enough for a "matrix lab", some people tend to write it as MatLab. Others simply write this as Matlab or matlab, but all of this is technically wrong.

Answer 5

Apparently, many people do not know why and capitalize all the short names of the programming languages ​​that they find. A sad example is Lua, too often written by LUA for no reason.

Note that the names of some languages ​​have internal capitalization due to how they were built, and it’s good, only because the company that created them wanted them that way. For example, JavaScript and PostScript, or ActionScript (do I see a template there?). Or you have a weird mix like ECMAScript (yes, I see a template!).

Answer 6

Because these are abbreviations for things, but in the end it does not matter. These are just names.

eg.

LISP = "LISt Processing"

While Java, for example, is simply called Java - it does not cost anything. They used to call him Oak, because the guy who called him had an oak in his office.

Wikipedia is the language and you will find the answers.

Answer 7

I think (some) people probably don’t remember that they are abbreviations anymore.

Answer 8

The rule is that there is no rule. This is not like there is an Academy or another governing body that governs what people get to name their programming language and how they should write it. Each of them makes its own rules for its own language.

As a rule, if you write about this material, you either follow the style guide for the house, or see the official name for it.

The reason you see so many different uses is because most people do not care or are simply ignorant. I still wonder who ever told anyone to refer to a Macintosh as "MAC", but this spelling is common. Some people just love their toggle keys, I think.

Answer 9

If it is in all caps, it is (presumably) an abbreviation.

Answer 10

if variableName == VARIABLENAME print "USE CAPS" else print "Follow your team's encoding standards"