[Python-Dev] conditional expressions?

[Greg Ward]

On 16 October 2001, Paul Prescod said:
> It actually read more easily to me the first time. As I said on
> python-list:
> 
> unit is meters if metric, else feet
> 
> versus
> 
> unit is, if metric, meters, else feet

That's confusing Python with English.  They're two different languages,
with different syntaxes, different semantics, and very different
purposes.  I wonder if a native speaker of German or Cantonese would
agree with you?

I really don't see what the big fuss is about.  Algol got it right 40
years ago with "if x then y else z", and (nearly?) every language since
then has either made conditional expressions painfully obfuscated (Lisp,
C and its ilk) or forgotten them entirely (Python).  They're very
useful, and just as easily abused as other powerful constructs like list
comprehensions, regular expressions, or lambdas.  But just because
something can be abused doesn't mean it should be banned.  Down that
road lies Nanny Python.

        Greg
-- 
Greg Ward - geek                                        gward@python.net
http://starship.python.net/~gward/
Vote Cthulhu -- why settle for a lesser evil?