"while/else" (ugh) (was Re: [oclug] Ruby)

[David F. Skoll]

On Fri, 27 Jun 2003, Dave Edwards wrote:

> > The point is that "else" is a perfectly good English word, and using
> > it in a way totally unrelated to its English meaning is a big mistake.

> Doesn't that imply that it's improperly used in most or all programming
> languages?

How so?

"If you're hungry, eat something, or else be quiet!"

Granted, in programming, we use "else" rather than "or else", but there
are many other instances of telegraphic English in programming languages.

> It should really be "otherwise", if fidelity to English
> denotation is crucial.

If "else" weren't so prevalent in most programming languages, I'd
be happy with "otherwise".

--
David.