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Falsehoods Programmers Believe About Names

Posted by timothy on from the can't-we-stick-to-slashdot-user-ids? dept.

Jamie points out this interesting article about how hard it is for programmers to get names right. Since software ultimately is used by and for humans, and we humans are pretty tightly linked to our names (whatever the language, spelling, or orthography), this is a big deal. This piece notes some of the ways that names get mishandled, and suggests rules of thumb (in the form of anti-suggestions) to encourage programmers to handle names more gracefully.

8 of 773 comments (clear)

  1. As the author of RFC 2100... by jra · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I found the piece very interesting.

    Though my inability to post this comment appears to have outlived the slashdotting of the site.

  2. I've been dealing with this for years. by Wonko+the+Sane · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I am fortunate enough to be the child of a professional smart-ass who intentionally gave all his children two middle names so that we would not fit into the computer systems of the era.

    When I grew up my parents used my first middle name as a "given nickname" (it's actually in quotation marks on my birth certificate). So most of the time when I give my name for something I use my "given nickname" as my first name. Unless I feel like using my legal first name as my first name in which case I use that. There are probably four or five different versions of my name attached to my SSN in various different databases.

    I've also got a sufffix: III. I don't have two ancestors with the exact same name as me, but since the various parts come from two different relatives my parents settled on III.

    1. Re:I've been dealing with this for years. by JaredOfEuropa · · Score: 4, Interesting

      I have an apostrophe in my surname, and you'd be surprised at how many systems break when I try to enter it... even in this day and age where character escaping and scrubbing for SQL are readily available in most languages, often even in the standard libraries. And you'd be surprised at how many systems return a response that hints at something like that cartoon being possible...

      Even worse are the systems that seem to accept the response, then break down internally. I've had some bitter arguments over reservations at car rental and airline check in counters.

      --
      If construction was anything like programming, an incorrectly fitted lock would bring down the entire building...
    2. Re:I've been dealing with this for years. by unkiereamus · · Score: 4, Interesting

      I actually knew a girl in HS who came from a very traditional Mexican family, as a result, she had 7 middle names.

      Here's the thing, in California, in order to be issued a driver's license, your full name had to appear on the card, and there was insufficient space for all of her middle names, as a result, in order to get a driver's license, she had to have her name legally changed.

      --
      I needed a sig so people would know who I am, but I was too drunk to make something witty, so you get this instead.
  3. Re:I don't know what the complaint is about? by scdeimos · · Score: 4, Interesting

    A database MUST treat all of these names the same: McClean, MacClean, MCLean, Mc Clean, Mac Clean. McCleen, ...

    Are you sure? What if "Mac Clean" is actually somebody's first and last names?

    I know plenty of people whose legal name is a single word, such as "Alex", "Max" or "Virgil." Would your system put that in the first_name, middle_name or surname column? Storing names and using them sensibly is hard, as TFA acknowledges.

    You'd think that e-mail addresses by comparison would be simpler, but I have a hard time trying to register my e-mail address with sites that won't allow even simple things like "+", "-" or "." characters in the local part.

  4. Re:I don't know what the complaint is about? by Dragonslicer · · Score: 4, Interesting

    A database MUST treat all of these names the same: McClean, MacClean, MCLean, Mc Clean, Mac Clean. McCleen, ...

    I assume you left out a "not" in that sentence? I think there are quite a few people that will kindly (or maybe not-so-kindly) explain why "Mc" and "Mac" are not the same.

  5. I didn't understand by SimonInOz · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I though the article was about the inability of programmer to remember names and recognise people, Maybe I should have read the article.

    It's a real problem though - is it just me? I often know things about people (ah yes, plays squash, good at making cakes, father of that kid who rides a unicycle), but their actual name - no. It's a miracle if I recognise them at all.
    Mind you, it means if anyone says "Hello" to me, I am obliged to be polite to them as I might actually know them quite well, but haven't recognised them yet - and certainly don't know their name.

    It's a right pain. Anybody else suffer from this - and what the heck do they do about it? (I'd like a camera attachment what would whisper in my ear "that's Mrs Jones, her daughter, Kira is in the same class at school as your daughter. Likes chess and is obsessed with kayaking" - something tiny that could clip on my glasses, maybe).

    --
    "Cats like plain crisps"
  6. Re:I don't know what the complaint is about? by Sique · · Score: 4, Interesting

    To make things worse, it's not necessarily the family name you use to address someone politely.

    If you have to speak to Paul McCartney (of Beatles' fame), you have to formally address him as "Sir Paul". No, "Sir McCartney" is impolite, you shouldn't use it.
    If you have to speak to Vladimir Putin, you won't address him as "Mr. Putin". It's "Vladimir Vladimirovich", please!

    --
    .sig: Sique *sigh*