Dijkstra on Python

[Carl Banks]

James J. Besemer wrote:
> 
> Steve Holden wrote:
> 
>> Well, lots of stuff is due to be deprecated, but one of the problems is the
>> screams of horror that appear in this newsgroup whenever anything is changed
>> in a potentially non-backwards-compatible way.
> 
> (a) As Carl explained, the "one way" motto is fundamentally just a "cute
> saying."

Actually, my suggestion was for *you* to think of it as just a cute
saying.  To those of us who are willing to look past the literal
meaning of "there should be one obvious way to do it," it is more than
just cute.

I can only tell you so many times that it's not meant to be taken
literally.  It's an overstatement (among other things).  In my
previous post, I tried to explain what the motto means in literal
terms.  Whether you believe it or not, a lot of people understand this
true meaning, without having to be told, and without even having to
think about it.

Your objections to its literal correctness are mostly valid.  But it
pointless to argue that, because it's not meant to be taken literally.

If you're not willing to look past its literal meaning yourself, I
hope you will at least acknowledge that to others, the motto is a
cute, succinct, and NON-LITERAL way to describe the Python philosophy.


-- 
CARL BANKS
http://www.aerojockey.com