merits of Lisp vs Python

[Neil Cerutti]

On 2006-12-14, josephoswaldgg at hotmail.com <josephoswald at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> Neil Cerutti wrote:
>> On 2006-12-13, josephoswaldgg at hotmail.com
>> <josephoswald at gmail.com> wrote:
>> > Expressions keep the same meaning even if you have to start
>> > breaking them across lines, etc.
>>
>> Yes, it's the same way in Python. Of course, not everything is
>> an expression in Python, so it's not saying quite as much.
>
> I fail to see how it is the same in Python.

if self.flee == (foo.humble(pie) / 500 * hats
    + hippity.hoppity)

The indentation of the second line of that expression is entirely
irrelevant to Python. The parenthesis I added means I don't have
to use the new-line escape character (\), either.

>> > In Python, you group in your mind, and press indentation
>> > keys to make it happen in your editor. The editor cannot
>> > help that much, because it cannot read your mind. White
>> > space screwups in copy-paste cannot be fixed by the editor
>> > automatically, because it cannot read the original
>> > programmer's mind, and you have to fix it manually, and risk
>> > screwing it up.
>>
>> It is very easy a manual process, possibly as simple as
>> selecting the correct s-expr and pasting it into the right
>> place in your code.
>
> How does a manual correction process come out as simple as
> "don't bother fixing the indentation if you don't care."?
>
> This is exactly the questionable math that I was questioning in
> the original post.

Python simply replaces one manual process (moving to the correct
scope (usually sitting on an open or close parenthesis) and then
hitting the grab-s-expr command) with another (after pasting,
correct the indentation--generally a trivial task). I think it's
a major stretch to call either process anything but trivially
easy for an experiences user of the language.

-- 
Neil Cerutti
The Pastor would appreciate it if the ladies of the congregation would lend
him their electric girdles for the pancake breakfast next Sunday morning.
--Church Bulletin Blooper