Naming and other conventions

[Stefan Urbanek]

Hi,

As mentioned in my previous emails, StepTalk is going through interface
additions and changes. Following are several questions from previous mail (RFC:
StepTalk semi-persistent shared environment(s)) that received no feedback so
far. I would like to know your opinion before I commit anything:

1. naming conventions

- interpretScript:inEnvironment or interpretScript:environment?
- methodFromSource:forReceiver:inContext: or
methodFromSource:receiver:context:

2. reference or copy?

- what should be default: returning result by reference or by copy? that
is, the method -result should return reference or copy? if reference,
then there would be following pair:
  - result
  - resultByCopy (or copyOfResult?)
otherwise there would be following pair:
  - result
  - resultByReference
Or - resulByCopy:(BOOL)flag?

3. autoreleased or not?

should a method -[STLanguageManager createEngineForLanguage:] return
autoreleased object or not? I think that it should be autoreleased, just want
to be sure.

4. class names

Are following class names OK or you would prefer different names?

- STConversation - controller that links scripting context/environment +
language and script interpretation
- STDistantConversation - kind of local proxy for a STConversation in another
process, allows one to interpret scripts in contexts that are remote
(STRemoteConversation?)
- it should be STLanguageManager or STLanguagesManager?
- STScriptManager or STScriptsManager?

And finally, how would you call a class that would serve as main controller over
the whole scripting framework (NSApplication is a controller for the whole
process, NSWorkspace is a controller for the whole desktop environment)?
STStepTalk, STStepTalkRuntime, STRuntime, STSystem, STLounge ...?

Thanks,

Stefan Urbanek
--
http://stefan.agentfarms.net

First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then
you win.
- Mahatma Gandhi