Python 2.0

[William Tanksley]

On 04 Jun 1999 15:07:05 -0400, Kumar Balachandran wrote:

>>>>>> "Graham" == Graham Matthews <graham at sloth.math.uga.edu> writes:

>    Graham> Graham Matthews wrote in message
>    Graham> <7ik6mi$lbk$1 at cronkite.cc.uga.edu>...
>    Graham> You are envangelising (a not uncommon response when
>    Graham> someone remotely criticises Python). Stop evangelising and
>    Graham> start considering the technical issues involve (read (!) 
>    Graham> other posts for what those issues are).

>Here is some useful evangelizing (methinks). One of the irritating things
>about Python is the use of whitespace in syntax. Agreed, the code is
>readable without parentheses or braces, but why not have optional
>syntactic sugar such as

You're kidding, right?  I mean, you posted twice about this, but they were
both jokes.

Yes.  I'm sure you're making a satire on how many other people suggest
making Python exactly like some other language, to the point that it would
be just as good to program in that other language.

I don't think it's an amusing satire -- the other people are discussing a
technical issue, and you're discussing an esthetic one.

>if
>...
>elif
>...
>else
>...
>fi

(Urk.)

>def
>...
>...
>fed

(Turns away, covers mouth.)

>while
>...
>elihw or wend

(Technicolor yawn.)

>etc. It makes the language more elegant.

Oh.  It's hard to argue esthetics, but can I recommend that you find a
language which uses that type of syntax instead of talking about Python
like that?

Reversed words are a really, really sick practice.  Ugh (shudder).  I can
handle 'END' (as in Oberon), and I sorta like having an optional qualifier
on the terminator (as in Ada), but those unpronouncable (shudder) things...

Anyhow, Python is block-structured, and that's all you're gonna get.

>When I see code using indentation or blank likes to achieve blocking of
>constructs, it reminds me of an old language (FORTRAN I think it was
>called:-).

Really?  Why?  Fortran didn't use indentation to achieve blocking.
Neither did Cobol.  Both used indentation to help in parsing.  And for
that matter, Fortran didn't use whitespace indentation -- it used
punchcard indentation.  I don't know anything about Cobol, but I bet it's
the same basic way.

>The change is simple to achieve if backward compatibility is given to
>accomodate people that grew up with FORTRAN.

Ah, I see.  A troll.  Of course.  :-)

-- 
-William "Billy" Tanksley
Utinam logica falsa tuam philosophiam totam suffodiant!
   :-: May faulty logic undermine your entire philosophy!