Bizarre method keyword-arg bug.

[Steven D'Aprano]

On Mon, 18 Aug 2008 04:07:14 -0700, Paul Boddie wrote:

> Ultimately, I suppose one could enforce some kind of least surprising
> "best practice" by limiting default parameter values to being literals
> of immutable objects or names, as opposed to expressions, thus
> eliminating some potential confusion.

-1

Firstly, I *like* the ability to use mutable objects as default 
arguments. I don't do it often, but when I do, I do it deliberately. I 
find it useful.

Secondly, I think forbidding expressions as default arguments would be 
far worse than the so-called "problem" you wish to fix. It would make 
such simple default arguments as these unnecessarily complicated:

def foo(x=2**64, sentinel=object())

Please don't try to "fix" this feature.


-- 
Steven