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Session #H: Naming Things

There are 2 hard problems in computer science: cache invalidation, naming things, and off-by-1 errors. This session is about naming things. In software, we need to name classes, methods, properties, libraries, solutions, etc. We also have to give names to variables, parameters, namespaces, interfaces, services, resources, etc. And most of the time, they can't conflict. Sometimes it's easy but sometimes it can be hard. We'll do a quick review of some of the easy guidelines that avoid some (somewhat easy) decisions then look into the things that require names that involve a deeper understanding of context. What the contexts are, their granularity, and how that can alleviate naming issues will be covered. How the types of contexts and their motivation and good compartmentalization make for easier naming will be detailed. We'll leverage some English grammar rules to relegate naming to a code smell—something recognizable with proven solutions. And finally, time permitting, some techniques and ideas to relegate *naming is hard* to problems of the past will be outlined.