Bug or feature?

[Alexey Nezhdanov]

Terry Reedy wrote:
> "Dennis Lee Bieber" <wlfraed at ix.netcom.com> wrote in message
> news:3dtid1-594.ln1 at beastie.ix.netcom.com...
> 
>>Alexey Nezhdanov fed this fish to the penguins on Wednesday 14 January
>>2004 21:40 pm:
>>
>>
>>>Case 1 and case 2 prints out different calues (1 and 2 respectively).
>>>Do not know - if this is a bug or feature of python.
>>>
>>
>>        It's a problem with using what I would consider a side effect...
> 
> And
> 
>>not understanding that "variables" are not memory addresses.
> 
> 
> In particular, the problem with both modifying in place (the side effect)
> and returning a value.  I see a little better Guido's reason for having
> list modification methods return None.  While chaining is not too
> problematical, object returns would allow list expressions mixing implicit
> and overt effects with possible puzzles similar to the one presented in
> this thread.
> 
> Terry J. Reedy

So since the word "problem" is so popular in this tred I have an another 
question:
Does anybody agree that this is a python problem and not a programmer 
problem?

Let me explain.
I DO know that this behaivoir of python is matches the DOCS and all 
declared official language laws.
I DO know why it is happening and how to fix my program to solve the 
problem (in fact I already knowed it when written my first post here).
I DO know that fixing on python level it will rise particular 
incompartibility with previous versions of python.
BUT
I know the case where such python behaivoir causes hard-to-catch problems.
I do not know any case (anybody knows? please give example) where such 
"feature" may be useful.

So I proposing to make a change into python and reverse the order of 
calculations.
Just for sure:
=== Order used now ===
## a+=a.Sub(b)
1. evaluate value of 'a'
2. evaluate value of 'a.Sub(b)'
3. evaluate the sum
4. store the result into 'a'
=== Proposed order ===
## a+=a.Sub(b)
1. evaluate value of 'a.Sub(b)'
2. evaluate value of 'a'
3. evaluate the sum
4. store the result into 'a'

(same about -=, *=,... of course)

--
Respectfully
Alexey Nezhdanov