Why I love python.

[Jack Diederich]

On Thu, Aug 12, 2004 at 08:22:01PM -0400, Mark Bottjer wrote:
> Michael Scarlett wrote:
> >I don't know about the rest of you, but I learned python and fell in
> >love with its syntax and simplicity.
> 
> That's the funny thing about Python. It really isn't simple, but it sure 
> seems like it is. There's tons of little niggling rules about scoping, 
> inheritance, and what have you--but you can be blissfully ignorant of 
> most of them and still get work done. That's pretty unique.
> 
> I think that's why people are so concerned about @pie: it has the 
> *potential* to be an obstacle early in the learning process, instead of 
> after someone is already hooked.
> 
Agreed, python isn't simple and those hidden things are actually useful for
getting real work done.  I've been using python industrially for three years
and I'm a big fan of decorators;  decorators would help me get things done.
I liked the look of [decorators] before colon option more, but the current
situation of

def foo(a,b,c):
  #
  # 60 lines of code here
  #
foo = mutate(foo) # oh, and by the way the 'def foo' 
                  # signature might be misleading

'foo = mutate(foo)' It is boilerplate, python is nice because it eschews
boilerplate.

While the decorator syntax might not be obvious to newbies they won't see
it in simple code.  When then do see it having @mutate right next to the 
func def has to be more of a clue than 'foo=mutate(foo)' lines or screens away.

-Jack