use the keyword "is" talk about identical equality (ex. "if a is b{...}")

uberjay

I guess I like "is" for equality, and would prefer something like "handles" or "supports" for your other case. For reference, ruby uses "responds_to" to check for method existence.

Richie

"is" is a terrible word. It will certainly confuse people whose first language is not English. Does "is" mean "permanent state" ("the mountain is high") or "transitory state" ("he is outside at the moment")? Other languages distinguish these with different verbs. Also, "is" does not mean "has", so your first example might be better expressed as "if a has printability" or much more simple as "if a can print". For the second example, I would suggest "if a equals b" for clarity. I would, however, recommend not using words at all in a programming language if possible. Real engineers use better constructs.

kevinr

I think your question implies that 'is' should either be used for both, or is should only be used for identity, and 'has' should be used for the posession of a property.

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