No macros in Python

[Russell Wallace]

On Mon, 16 Dec 2002 16:24:19 +0100, Laura Creighton <lac at strakt.com>
wrote:

>Indeed.  Notice that I think every programmer should have a LISP system.
>I just don't think it should be invoked by typing:
>
>% python

That just leads to the question of whether one should use Lisp or
Python :)

>> I still don't get this - how did it differ from every floor writing
>> their own FFT function with its own calling conventions etc in
>> Fortran?
>
>It wouldn't have, except that nobody ever believed that they could
>invent the complete-and-utter-Holy-Grail-of-Programming-Languages
>out of hacking FORTRAN.  Even we weren't that crazy.

So what exactly did you do that was problematic? Implement your own
control structures and collection classes or what?

(The reason I keep inquiring about this is that I think a grain of
real life case study is worth a truckload of theorizing, and you're
the only person I can recall ever seeing come up with a substantial
case study supporting the 'macros should be banned' position.)

>Fortran is rather more varied than you would think

That is true. I saw some code in one of the more recent versions of
Fortran a couple of years ago and I swear by all the gods, it was
actually readable! ^.~

>> "Mercy to the guilty is treachery to the innocent."
>
>Yours?

I'm told it's from Terry Goodkind, 'Faith of the Fallen'. Came across
it via a friend using it for his IRC signoff line.

>I like  'All that is needed for evil to prosper is for men of
>good will to do nothing.' better ...

Fair enough - the semantic content is significantly different, though.

-- 
"Mercy to the guilty is treachery to the innocent."
Remove killer rodent from address to reply.
http://www.esatclear.ie/~rwallace