Alan Barrett <a...@cequrux.com> wrote: > On Mon, 07 Apr 2014, Mindaugas Rasiukevicius wrote: > >Taylor R Campbell <campbell+netbsd-tech-k...@mumble.net> wrote: > >> What is "intern"? > >> > >> `Intern' means `lookup, or create and insert if not there'. > > > >The point being is that I do not find it meaningful/intuitive. Many > >other systems just use get(). If you want more accurate name, I suggest > >conget() or something more meaningful. > > I would find "conget" confusing, while finding "intern" clear. > > Essentially, to "intern" a string or an external representation > of an an object, means to create an internal representation of > the string or object, or to find an already existing internal > representation of an identical object, and (usually) to return a > reference to that internal representation. The wikipedia article > at <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/String_interning> is focused on > strings, but other objects can also be interned.
How about looking for precedents in the NetBSD source tree rather than string manipulation in Java? Nothing really uses "intern". Perhaps not a great naming, but other subsystems usually just use "get". By the way, since LIPS was mentioned.. I actually suggested "conget" while thinking of "cons". It seems a bit easier to associate with "construction". The first thing which comes to mind when seeing an "intern" is a "student". :) -- Mindaugas
