Apostrophe - a story of naming
summary
A concrete failure story about naming: a Python test that checks two device identifiers passes locally but then fails with an unterminated string error because an apostrophe in the name is parsed as a string delimiter. The workaround replaces the ASCII apostrophe with the Unicode modifier letter apostrophe so the identifier looks possessive but counts as a letter, which makes tests pass while introducing a false friend that breaks readers and syntax highlighters and prompts a terse code review judgment: no.
AI-written summary · about
chapters (7)
- 0:00Start
- 0:01Apostrophe a lightning talk
- 0:22So we had this test code
- 0:53And it's clear what is wrong
- 1:22The problem is
- 1:44According to wikipedia
- 2:14The last word
related talks
28mWhat's That Supposed to Mean
20mUsernames on Instagram: how a craft fix became an identity crisis
29mWhat's in a Name: From Variables to Domain-Driven Design
32mHow We Do Identity Wrong
41mHow We Tell Stories In Code
48mStorytelling With Software
49mMetaphors We Code By
51mThe Chips and Pickle Story: What's Really Behind Infamous, Historic UI Failures?