Vectors in Visual Python

[Alex Martelli]

Arthur <ajsiegel at optonline.com> wrote:

> is that VPython "vectors" are in effect flat 3 element Numeric arrays,
> and Numeric ararys can be constructed with Float64 specified as the
> datatype.  (wonder if that speciufication is a "declaration", and if
> so whether that would indicate some conflict between Python's ideology
> (Alex's version) and that of its defacto standard numerical processing
> library - but I digress) .

That ``speciufication'' (sic) is no more ``a "declaration"'' than any
other parameter you can pass to a constructor (or any other factory
callable).  I find it hard to believe that this can be less than
totally, entirely, and utterly obvious to anybody with a 3-digits IQ.


Trying to subdivide the issue into sub-issues that I hope will be pretty
obvious even for most 2-digits IQs...:

I can pass parameters when I call something -- do you think ``that's a
declaration''?!

Some of the calls I perform build and return new objects -- do you
REALLY think ``that's a declaration''?!

Obviously, the parameters I pass will normally affect the results of my
calls -- do you TRULY, SERIOUSLKY think ``that's a declaration''?!

*WHAT ON EARTH* could *POSSIBLY* make you "wonder" if any of these
aspects make a perfectly ordinary executable statement into what's
instead ``a declaration''?!?!


Please clarify if you were making a lame joke without smilies, are
utterly confused about what "declaration" *MEANS*, or what other folly
prompted you to this astounding remark, thanks.  Having found out how to
build a lasting killfile, I'd like to see if using it liberally on
people who appear to post here just to provoke flamewars, rather than to
offer and receive help, and participate in interesting discussion, can
make the newsgroup decently usable to me again.  It's a pity that any
newbie reading the group will be confused and damaged by tons of
unchallenged idiocies posted there by large number of fools, but, ah
well, I can't fix that, obviously -- I can just hope and trust that the
fools' karma suffers in proportion to the stupid harm they inflict.


Alex