Flames over division vs. case-sensitivity (was Re: Language change and code breaks)

[David Bolen]

aahz at panix.com (Aahz Maruch) writes:

> >Guido van Rossum <guido at python.org> spake:
> >  This baffles me; the division issue is IMO far more terrifying a
> >change, while case-insensitive is a mere quirk.
> 
> (...)
>                             I think that only the hard-core number
> crunchers get their panties in a wad over the division issue directly,
> and I think a lot of people fail to see how insidious that problem could
> be if not handled correctly.

I have to say that as a very non-hard-core number cruncher who
primarily got involved with the division stuff from a pragmatic large
system support angle, one thing I've taken away from it is the
complexity of the issue and am glad that I'm not trying to design a
language with a unified number system.  I clearly wouldn't know enough
in that area :-)

(Although it's fascinating to watch discussions about it)

--
-- David
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