More random python observations from a perl programmer

[Magnus L. Hetland]

Lars Damerow <lars at pixar.com> writes:

> On 19 Aug 1999, Tom Christiansen wrote:
> 
> > No, that's not it.  Perl's hex takes a hex number and returns 
> > a decimal one; same with oct.  Python's is the reverse.  Very weird.
> > 
> >     echo 'print oct(12)' | python
> >     14
> > 
> >     echo 'print oct(12)' | perl -l
> >     10
> > 
> > See what I mean?
> 
> I don't consider that weird at all.  Take casting, for example, in any number
> of languages.  If, in C++, I say int(var), that takes var and casts it to be an
> integer.  I might say long(num) in Python, which says "Turn num into a long."
> 
> In that case, doesn't it make sense that hex(12) would take the decimal number
> 12 and return '0xc'?  That oct(153) returns '0231'?  Functions and methods are
> typically named for the action they perform, not the data they're accepting.

Indeed... I would be very distressed if sin(0.9) returned 2... Or
sqrt(2) returned 4... Or, indeed if oct(12) returned 14. Very
disturbing.

> 
> -lars

--

  Magnus              Making no sound / Yet smouldering with passion
  Lie          The firefly is still sadder / Than the moaning insect
  Hetland                                       : Minamoto Shigeyuki