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  3. Why String?

Why String?

Scheduled Pinned Locked Moved The Lounge
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  • A AspDotNetDev

    I was just thinking that it seems a bit odd that "string" is so commonly used by programmers to refer to some text. I would think "text" would be more appropriate. If we are using "string" just because it refers to a string of characters (aka, a sequence of characters), then why not also call numbers "strings" (as they are strings/sequences of digits and some other characters)? Any theories as to why "string" prevailed?

    Thou mewling ill-breeding pignut!

    L Offline
    L Offline
    Lost User
    wrote on last edited by
    #4

    Back in the day, Computers were made of rope and wood , and each character was knotted onto a length of string. Sometimes the string would unravel. Hence the early programmers mantra - did it compile? I'm a frayed knot.

    MVVM# - See how I did MVVM my way ___________________________________________ Man, you're a god. - walterhevedeich 26/05/2011 .\\axxx (That's an 'M')

    B A D K 4 Replies Last reply
    0
    • L Lost User

      Back in the day, Computers were made of rope and wood , and each character was knotted onto a length of string. Sometimes the string would unravel. Hence the early programmers mantra - did it compile? I'm a frayed knot.

      MVVM# - See how I did MVVM my way ___________________________________________ Man, you're a god. - walterhevedeich 26/05/2011 .\\axxx (That's an 'M')

      B Offline
      B Offline
      Brisingr Aerowing
      wrote on last edited by
      #5

      :laugh:

      public class SysAdmin : Employee
      {

       public override void DoWork(IWorkItem workItem)
       {
            if (workItem.User.Type == UserType.NoLearn){
               throw new NoIWillNotFixYourComputerException(new Luser(workItem.User));
            }else{
                 base.DoWork(workItem);
            }
       }
      

      }

      1 Reply Last reply
      0
      • L Lost User

        Back in the day, Computers were made of rope and wood , and each character was knotted onto a length of string. Sometimes the string would unravel. Hence the early programmers mantra - did it compile? I'm a frayed knot.

        MVVM# - See how I did MVVM my way ___________________________________________ Man, you're a god. - walterhevedeich 26/05/2011 .\\axxx (That's an 'M')

        A Offline
        A Offline
        AspDotNetDev
        wrote on last edited by
        #6

        Sounds like quite the yarn. :)

        Thou mewling ill-breeding pignut!

        B _ L 3 Replies Last reply
        0
        • A AspDotNetDev

          Sounds like quite the yarn. :)

          Thou mewling ill-breeding pignut!

          B Offline
          B Offline
          Brisingr Aerowing
          wrote on last edited by
          #7

          :laugh:

          public class SysAdmin : Employee
          {

           public override void DoWork(IWorkItem workItem)
           {
                if (workItem.User.Type == UserType.NoLearn){
                   throw new NoIWillNotFixYourComputerException(new Luser(workItem.User));
                }else{
                     base.DoWork(workItem);
                }
           }
          

          }

          1 Reply Last reply
          0
          • A AspDotNetDev

            I was just thinking that it seems a bit odd that "string" is so commonly used by programmers to refer to some text. I would think "text" would be more appropriate. If we are using "string" just because it refers to a string of characters (aka, a sequence of characters), then why not also call numbers "strings" (as they are strings/sequences of digits and some other characters)? Any theories as to why "string" prevailed?

            Thou mewling ill-breeding pignut!

            B Offline
            B Offline
            Brisingr Aerowing
            wrote on last edited by
            #8

            String Theory?[^]

            public class SysAdmin : Employee
            {

             public override void DoWork(IWorkItem workItem)
             {
                  if (workItem.User.Type == UserType.NoLearn){
                     throw new NoIWillNotFixYourComputerException(new Luser(workItem.User));
                  }else{
                       base.DoWork(workItem);
                  }
             }
            

            }

            A 1 Reply Last reply
            0
            • B Brisingr Aerowing

              String Theory?[^]

              public class SysAdmin : Employee
              {

               public override void DoWork(IWorkItem workItem)
               {
                    if (workItem.User.Type == UserType.NoLearn){
                       throw new NoIWillNotFixYourComputerException(new Luser(workItem.User));
                    }else{
                         base.DoWork(workItem);
                    }
               }
              

              }

              A Offline
              A Offline
              AspDotNetDev
              wrote on last edited by
              #9

              That hurts my membrane so much I feel like a p-brane, but lucky for me I think you're just stringing me along this thread.

              Thou mewling ill-breeding pignut!

              B 1 Reply Last reply
              0
              • A AspDotNetDev

                That hurts my membrane so much I feel like a p-brane, but lucky for me I think you're just stringing me along this thread.

                Thou mewling ill-breeding pignut!

                B Offline
                B Offline
                Brisingr Aerowing
                wrote on last edited by
                #10

                :laugh: I didn't even know there was an official string theory website!

                public class SysAdmin : Employee
                {

                 public override void DoWork(IWorkItem workItem)
                 {
                      if (workItem.User.Type == UserType.NoLearn){
                         throw new NoIWillNotFixYourComputerException(new Luser(workItem.User));
                      }else{
                           base.DoWork(workItem);
                      }
                 }
                

                }

                1 Reply Last reply
                0
                • A AspDotNetDev

                  Sounds like quite the yarn. :)

                  Thou mewling ill-breeding pignut!

                  _ Offline
                  _ Offline
                  _Damian S_
                  wrote on last edited by
                  #11

                  He's just trying to rope you in!

                  Silence is golden... but duct tape is silver!! Booger Mobile - My bright green 1964 Ford Falcon - check out the blog here!! | If you feel generous - make a donation to Camp Quality!!

                  Richard Andrew x64R 1 Reply Last reply
                  0
                  • _ _Damian S_

                    He's just trying to rope you in!

                    Silence is golden... but duct tape is silver!! Booger Mobile - My bright green 1964 Ford Falcon - check out the blog here!! | If you feel generous - make a donation to Camp Quality!!

                    Richard Andrew x64R Offline
                    Richard Andrew x64R Offline
                    Richard Andrew x64
                    wrote on last edited by
                    #12

                    C'mon, cut him some slack.

                    The difficult we do right away... ...the impossible takes slightly longer.

                    A 1 Reply Last reply
                    0
                    • Richard Andrew x64R Richard Andrew x64

                      C'mon, cut him some slack.

                      The difficult we do right away... ...the impossible takes slightly longer.

                      A Offline
                      A Offline
                      AspDotNetDev
                      wrote on last edited by
                      #13

                      Thanks, I can't get tied up at the moment.

                      Thou mewling ill-breeding pignut!

                      R 1 Reply Last reply
                      0
                      • A AspDotNetDev

                        I was just thinking that it seems a bit odd that "string" is so commonly used by programmers to refer to some text. I would think "text" would be more appropriate. If we are using "string" just because it refers to a string of characters (aka, a sequence of characters), then why not also call numbers "strings" (as they are strings/sequences of digits and some other characters)? Any theories as to why "string" prevailed?

                        Thou mewling ill-breeding pignut!

                        F Offline
                        F Offline
                        Fernando A Gomez F
                        wrote on last edited by
                        #14

                        I once read in a book, which was about learning C programming, that the name string was chosen because in C there is no text data type, but an array of characters. An array could be seen as a "chain" of characters, or a "string" of characters (one right after the other). In Spanish, by the way, the name is "cadena de caracteres" which translates to "character chain" rather than string. Don't know if this is true though.

                        1 Reply Last reply
                        0
                        • A AspDotNetDev

                          I was just thinking that it seems a bit odd that "string" is so commonly used by programmers to refer to some text. I would think "text" would be more appropriate. If we are using "string" just because it refers to a string of characters (aka, a sequence of characters), then why not also call numbers "strings" (as they are strings/sequences of digits and some other characters)? Any theories as to why "string" prevailed?

                          Thou mewling ill-breeding pignut!

                          P Offline
                          P Offline
                          Peter_in_2780
                          wrote on last edited by
                          #15

                          Because you could never tell how long it is. Cheers ;P Peter

                          Software rusts. Simon Stephenson, ca 1994.

                          1 Reply Last reply
                          0
                          • A AspDotNetDev

                            I was just thinking that it seems a bit odd that "string" is so commonly used by programmers to refer to some text. I would think "text" would be more appropriate. If we are using "string" just because it refers to a string of characters (aka, a sequence of characters), then why not also call numbers "strings" (as they are strings/sequences of digits and some other characters)? Any theories as to why "string" prevailed?

                            Thou mewling ill-breeding pignut!

                            J Offline
                            J Offline
                            Jason Hooper
                            wrote on last edited by
                            #16

                            Because even the best C programmers end up hanging themselves with them at some point in time.

                            Jason

                            1 Reply Last reply
                            0
                            • A AspDotNetDev

                              I was just thinking that it seems a bit odd that "string" is so commonly used by programmers to refer to some text. I would think "text" would be more appropriate. If we are using "string" just because it refers to a string of characters (aka, a sequence of characters), then why not also call numbers "strings" (as they are strings/sequences of digits and some other characters)? Any theories as to why "string" prevailed?

                              Thou mewling ill-breeding pignut!

                              P Offline
                              P Offline
                              PIEBALDconsult
                              wrote on last edited by
                              #17

                              AspDotNetDev wrote:

                              they are strings/sequences of digits

                              No they're not -- unless you use ToString.

                              AspDotNetDev wrote:

                              Any theories as to why "string" prevailed?

                              Because in BASIC they are designated by a $ which is a lot like an S and they who use BASIC are hard to teach.

                              1 Reply Last reply
                              0
                              • R Roger Wright

                                I think it's an unconscious desire to return to the good old days of BASIC where a variable was identified as containing text characters by using the suffix $. The art of programming has never recovered from the damage done by constructs like, >10 DATA "MY", "TEXT", "DATA" >20 READ A$, B$, C$ >30 LPRINT A$, B$, C$ >50 GOTO 10 >9999 END >RUN Back in the day, A$ was even pronounced, "A-string." :-D

                                Will Rogers never met me.

                                M Offline
                                M Offline
                                Mike Hankey
                                wrote on last edited by
                                #18

                                Oh my eyes.....noooooooooooo

                                VS2010/Atmel Studio 6.0 ToDo Manager Extension
                                Version 3.0 now available. There is no place like 127.0.0.1

                                R 1 Reply Last reply
                                0
                                • A AspDotNetDev

                                  Sounds like quite the yarn. :)

                                  Thou mewling ill-breeding pignut!

                                  L Offline
                                  L Offline
                                  Lost User
                                  wrote on last edited by
                                  #19

                                  Hope I pulled the wool over your eyes ;)

                                  MVVM# - See how I did MVVM my way ___________________________________________ Man, you're a god. - walterhevedeich 26/05/2011 .\\axxx (That's an 'M')

                                  1 Reply Last reply
                                  0
                                  • A AspDotNetDev

                                    I was just thinking that it seems a bit odd that "string" is so commonly used by programmers to refer to some text. I would think "text" would be more appropriate. If we are using "string" just because it refers to a string of characters (aka, a sequence of characters), then why not also call numbers "strings" (as they are strings/sequences of digits and some other characters)? Any theories as to why "string" prevailed?

                                    Thou mewling ill-breeding pignut!

                                    A Offline
                                    A Offline
                                    Amarnath S
                                    wrote on last edited by
                                    #20

                                    My first acquaintance with "strings" was in the pre-computer days (early eighties, in India - there were no or very very few computers then; the nearest one was a Casio calculator), when we did physics experiments with standing waves or stationary waves. We had to find nodes, also called stationary points. So, when I had to first program with strings using MFC, it took some time to unlearn the wave part, and get used to strings within quotes.

                                    1 Reply Last reply
                                    0
                                    • R Roger Wright

                                      I think it's an unconscious desire to return to the good old days of BASIC where a variable was identified as containing text characters by using the suffix $. The art of programming has never recovered from the damage done by constructs like, >10 DATA "MY", "TEXT", "DATA" >20 READ A$, B$, C$ >30 LPRINT A$, B$, C$ >50 GOTO 10 >9999 END >RUN Back in the day, A$ was even pronounced, "A-string." :-D

                                      Will Rogers never met me.

                                      Steve EcholsS Offline
                                      Steve EcholsS Offline
                                      Steve Echols
                                      wrote on last edited by
                                      #21

                                      It's like inverted PHP! My eyes!! :)


                                      - S 50 cups of coffee and you know it's on! Code, follow, or get out of the way.

                                      • S
                                        50 cups of coffee and you know it's on!
                                        Code, follow, or get out of the way.
                                      1 Reply Last reply
                                      0
                                      • A AspDotNetDev

                                        I was just thinking that it seems a bit odd that "string" is so commonly used by programmers to refer to some text. I would think "text" would be more appropriate. If we are using "string" just because it refers to a string of characters (aka, a sequence of characters), then why not also call numbers "strings" (as they are strings/sequences of digits and some other characters)? Any theories as to why "string" prevailed?

                                        Thou mewling ill-breeding pignut!

                                        S Offline
                                        S Offline
                                        Shao Voon Wong
                                        wrote on last edited by
                                        #22

                                        It is according to the Grand Unified Theory of Programming, a string can store all the values of any plain old data(POD)! Also known as the String Theory of programming. This is why text type is known as string!

                                        1 Reply Last reply
                                        0
                                        • M Mike Hankey

                                          Oh my eyes.....noooooooooooo

                                          VS2010/Atmel Studio 6.0 ToDo Manager Extension
                                          Version 3.0 now available. There is no place like 127.0.0.1

                                          R Offline
                                          R Offline
                                          Roger Wright
                                          wrote on last edited by
                                          #23

                                          Here, this[^] may help...

                                          Will Rogers never met me.

                                          M S 2 Replies Last reply
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