Forgetting "()" when calling methods

[Terry Reedy]

"Tim Peters" <tim.one at comcast.net> wrote in message
news:mailman.1051540303.31725.python-list at python.org...
> No, the current state makes no sense ... [and] ...is an inconsistent
mish-mash

OK, we agree on that.  It a result of various local optimazations and
compromises and =needs ground up redesign.  My point in relation to ()
is that I would hate to see a similar mishmash created in relation to
truth values, especially not for the local optimazation of allowing
people to forget to type '()' in boolean context.

Back to the tangent.

> Guido doesn't want
>     2 < "42"
> to pass silently any more than he wants
>     2 + "42"
> to pass silently.

I agree.  The question is whether .sort() should come with at least an
option to work with a heterogenous items and not raise an exception -- 
without the user having to write a custom order function  -- so
programmers who know what they are doing when trying to sort such a
list can do so nearly as easily as they used to.

Terry