Why prefer != over <> for Python 3.0?

[Hendrik van Rooyen]

John J. Lee wrote:

>How did programmers manage back then in 32k? 

Some of the answers, in no particular sequence, are:

Tight, small operating systems that did the minimum.
Assembler.
Sequential Processing:
  - small tasks with multiple passes on tape
   ( like the concept of Unix pipes )
Overlays.
Character based menu systems.
No OO.
Code structured to the point of incomprehensibility:
  - if ten or so instructions looked similar, 
    you forced calls instead of inlining.
Procedural languages, close to the metal.
Small, fixed length, fixed type character based data structures.

Some of the other veterans may want to add to this list.

- Hendrik