dictionary initialization

[Terry Reedy]

"BJörn Lindqvist" <bjourne at gmail.com> wrote in message 
news:740c3aec04112613043a0b0d2b at mail.gmail.com...
> >>> del x
> >>> x *= 5

> Maybe Python can't guess it, but *I* can guess, with 99% certainity,
> that the user wants x to be 0. :)

However, it is 'obvious' to me that the 'proper' initialization is 1 and 
the intended result should be 5.  Or that the programmer forgot something 
and that the proper response is to raise an error, as Python does.  Wanting 
5 * undisclosed something to be 0 strikes me as unlikely and a distant 
third since x = 0 is much easier to say.

Also: 'x op= y' is defined as being semantically equal to 'x = x op y' 
except for the single rather than double evaluation of x.  Therefore, if 
the latter raises an error for unbound x, so should the former.

Terry J. Reedy