Python grammar..

[Delaney, Timothy]

> "Delaney, Timothy" wrote:
> > 
> >         a 1     ' OK
> >         a(1)    ' memory leak
> 
> The "memory leak" part of that sounds like a bug in the
> implementation. It doesn't say anything about the merits
> or otherwise of the syntax.

Oh no question that IMO it's a bug in the implementation - but that doesn't
appear to be Microsoft's opinion ...

The (lack of) merits are that there are multiple ways to call something
(fine - I don't like it, but I can live with it in a language), and that in
two particular circumstances (zero and one parameter) the syntax allows you
to call a function one way (with parentheses, no "call"), but if you have
more than one parameter this is disallowed by the syntax. The fact that
calling functions in this manner is documented as causing a memory leak as
just sheer arrogance.

I'm merely holding up VB as an example of what *not* to do with a language.
I believe even MS has finally seen the error of this, and VB7 will not be at
all backwards compatible ...

Tim Delaney