Suggestions for good programming practices?

[brueckd at tbye.com]

On Tue, 25 Jun 2002, Carl Banks wrote:

> > Besides, the
> > people who understand the potential for problems with something tend to be
> > the ones that don't mishandle it (whether it be streets, guns, or Python
> > functions).
> 
> Which is why it is important to tell people who don't understand the
> potential for problems to not use eval until they do.
> 
> You seem to have this idea, based on this last paragraph, that a good
> way to keep newbies from misusing eval and exec is to keep them in
> ignorance.  I think that's absurd.  I don't know if you're just
> grasping for arguments, because you previously seemed to think it's
> best to explain WHY, as opposed to simply saying, "Don't do it."

Um, what's absurd is how you reached that conclusion from the paragraph I
wrote. <0.4 wink> I said that people WON'T get hurt if they are NOT
ignorant - I'm advocating an explanation of risk in place of the
categorical "stay away!".

-Dave