What's the best name for a non-mutating “add” method on an immutable collection?

Question

Sorry for the waffly title - if I could come up with a concise title, I wouldn\'t have to ask the question.

Suppose I have an immutable list type. It has an operat

Answer 1

First, an interesting starting point: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naming_conventions_(programming) ...In particular, check the "See Also" links at the bottom.

I'm in favor of either Plus or And, effectively equally.

Plus and And are both math-based in etymology. As such, both connote mathematical operation; both yield an expression which reads naturally as expressions which may resolve into a value, which fits with the method having a return value. And bears additional logic connotation, but both words apply intuitively to lists. Add connotes action performed on an object, which conflicts with the method's immutable semantics.

Both are short, which is especially important given the primitiveness of the operation. Simple, frequently-performed operations deserve shorter names.

Expressing immutable semantics is something I prefer to do via context. That is, I'd rather simply imply that this entire block of code has a functional feel; assume everything is immutable. That might just be me, however. I prefer immutability to be the rule; if it's done, it's done a lot in the same place; mutability is the exception.