variable declaration

[Jeremy Bowers]

On Sun, 06 Feb 2005 07:30:33 -0500, Arthur wrote:
> What if:
> 
> There was a well conducted market survey conclusive to the effect that
> adding optional strict variable declaration would, in the longer run,
> increase Python's market share dramatically.
> 
> It just would.
> 
> Why would it?

What if, by eating a special mixture of cheddar and marshmallows, you
could suddenly fly?

It just would.

Why would it?

(The point, since I don't trust you to get it: The "absurd question" is
neither a valid argument technique, nor is it even good rhetoric. You
might as well go straight to "What if I'm right and you're wrong? What
then, huh?")

> My sense of how the real world works is that there is going to be one
> anti-Python advocate lying in wait for the first bug he can find that he
> can say would have been caught if Python had strict variable declaration,
> as he always knew it should.
> 
> He wants to be the PHB someday. The current PHB knows that, and since
> being sensitive to these kinds of realities is how he got to be the PHB,
> he is too smart to open himself up to this kind of risk.
> 
> The PHB can pretty safely make the use of the option optional.  As long as
> he is a position to jump down the throat of the programmer who created the
> bug.

You really aren't very good at this "debate" thing.

"Look, I can construct a certain scenario whereby the dangers you propose
don't occur (assuming that I'm even right about my scenario in the first
place which is highly questionable). How do you respond to *that*? Huh?
Huh? Huh? Where's your precious 'overwhelming pattern' now?"

It hasn't gone anywhere.

> What is the correct language design decision in light of these realities?

In light of the above, I question your use of the plural.

> But isn't this kind of where Python is at the moment?

Only for you.

Despite the tone of the rest of this message, I mean that. It's obviously
a huge stumbling block for you. It isn't for the rest of us, and once
again, I assure you, it's going to take more than spinning implausible
isolated entirely theoretical examples to convince us otherwise.

Not only do you argue solely from anecdote, even the aforementioned
"implausible isolated entirely theoretical" anecdote, it appears to be all
you understand. You're going to have to do better than that. Producing a
*real* study that shows declaration would be a good thing, instead of an
implausible entirely theoretical one, would be a good start.