[ocaml-platform] Unique file names

[Romain Bardou]

Hello,

It seems to me that long names break modularity. By modularity I mean 
the ability to name a unit (a file, a value...) with no knowledge of its 
environment.

Let's say I am developing project "Video3D" for which I developed a 
"Quadtree" module. I name it "Video3D_Quadtree". Now, let's say that 
Batteries and Core want to integrate my quadtree implementation. They 
will rename the module as "Batteries_Quadtree" and "Core_Quadtree".

There is no way to chose a name that does not depend on the environment 
if I use long unique names. Long unique names are explicitely giving up 
on modularity.

Long names feel like having to write code like this:

type 'list_t_a list_t =
   | List_empty
   | List_cons of 'list_t_a * 'list_t_a list_t

let rec list_map list_map_f list_map_l =
   match list_map_l with
     | List_empty ->
         List_empty
     | List_cons (list_map_value, list_map_tail) ->
         let list_map_value = list_map_f list_map_value in
         let list_map_tail = list_map list_map_f list_map_tail in
         List_cons (list_map_value, list_map_tail)

Everything which is defined in unit U is prefixed by "U_". Here, I have 
the "list" unit (the module) and the "list_map" unit. But thanks to 
modularity I can choose any name for "list_map_f" and "list_map_l". 
Because I am inside unit "list_map", these names are redundant and I can 
use "f" and "l" instead.

It should be the same for compilation units: I should be able to name my 
module "Quadtree". Namespaces should then provide a way to integrate 
this name in another environment, if needed.

Cheers,

-- 
Romain Bardou