variable declaration

[Arthur]

On Sat, 5 Feb 2005 17:00:15 +0100, aleaxit at yahoo.com (Alex Martelli)
wrote:
>
>I consider this one of the worst ideas to have been proposed on this
>newsgroup over the years, which _IS_ saying something. \

I would disagree, but only to the extent that nothing that is only a
request for an option toggle should qualify for this award.  For
anyone not interested in it's effects, it's business as usual.  

They can even reward themselves with the knowledge that among the time
and typing they did not waste was in asking for the toggle to be on.

It is also true that mplementation might be a diversion of efforts
from the implementation of features solving more generally recognized
problems. There *are* a lot of bad things to say about the idea. 

But I think it worth mentioning that the OP is requesting only a
toggle.

Why is it worth mentioning?

Because maybe one needs to save the heaviest rhetoric for when this is
not the case.

There was a simple answer to those who hate decorators - don't use
them. I won't.

And the most controversial suggestions about optional static typing
all perserve their sanity by remaining suggestions about something
defined as optional.

Generally speaking, it might then be said to be good community poilcy
to hold one's fire at least a bit if a feature request, or accepted
PEP, will not impact one's own code writing beyond the extent one
might choose  it to.

Though I  do think there *should* be a worst feature request contest
at PyCon,   

What is with this white space business, anyway?

;)

Art