Self Nanny

[Gaetan Corneau]

Clarence,

> I wonder if you have actual evidence of that point.

I do. But as Grant Edwards noted, I'm talking about C++ programmers who want
to use Python.

> One of my biggest
> problems with C++ is the inability to distinguish between an 
> attribute and a local variable at a glance.

I have been using C++ for a long time (too long?), and I don't remember
having faced this problem myself, but I know it is possible. To make sure
new C++ programmers don't have problems with that, we have a little naming
convention.


> I would guess C++ newbies have as many
> problems.  Especially when they get into the situations where 
> they have to start explicitly using 'this'.

Yes, C++ is complicated. The "this" pointer subject is a difficult one for
new programmers.
But I don't want to discuss C++, I just want to see Python more widely
accepted :)
 
> In fact, in a posting in this newsgroup a while back, someone 
> said they actually have a standard practice of *always* referring to 
> attributes via *this, just to avoid the confusion and inconsistency.

Ouch!


> Three years ago, as a long-time programmer but brand new to Python, I
> applauded the Python approach.

I don't discuss your preferences. *Personally*, I find the declaration AND
use of "self" annoying in a language I use for rapid
development/prototyping.

Would programmers who have a background in a language other than C++ really
miss "self" in the method declarations? I would be interested to see what
Python programmers in general think of that. You know, I don't care much
personally, since I have been using Python long enough to have developed the
"self declaration reflex" :)
______________________________________________________
   Gaetan Corneau
   Software Developer 
   Copernic Technologies inc. 
   http://www.copernic.com
   E-mail: corg at copernic.com                         
______________________________________________________
"Tu l'as trop écrasé, César, ce Port Salut"


-----BEGIN GEEK CODE BLOCK-----
Version: 3.1
GCS/B/MU d- s+:++ a C++ 
UL+ P--- W+ N- K- W++ t-- 
!5 X- R+ tv-- b++ DI++ 
G e++ h---- r+++ y++++
------END GEEK CODE BLOCK------