New Python 3.0 string formatting - really necessary?

[Steven D'Aprano]

On Sat, 20 Dec 2008 15:27:43 -0800, walterbyrd wrote:

> On Dec 19, 10:25 am, Michael Torrie <torr... at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
>> Personally the new string formatter is sorely needed in Python.
> 
> Really? You know, it's funny, but when I read problems that people have
> with python, I don't remember seeing that. Loads of people complain
> about the white space issue. Some people complain  about the speed. Lots
> of complaints about certain quirky behavior, but I have not come across
> any complaints about the string formatting.


There are some things that some people whinge about, often just to hear 
the sound of their own voice (or the look of their own font, if you 
prefer). Whitespace and speed are two of those: they attract trolls and 
sooks.

(That's not to say that there aren't real problems related to them. But 
it seems to me that the real problems are drowned out by the trolls.)

Then there are things that people don't complain about, they just shrug 
and code a work-around. If % doesn't do what you want, do you cry about 
it, or do you code around it?

I can't speak for others, but what I did was ask the question, discover 
that % was not powerful enough, and coded around it:

http://mail.python.org/pipermail/python-list/2006-April/376641.html



> In fact, from what I have seen, many of the "problems" being "fixed"
> seem to be non-problems.
> 
> I dunno, maybe it's just me.

It's just you.

Sheesh, I've never seen such a bunch of cry-babies sooking that their 
favourite language just got *more* power and flexibility. If 
functionality was being removed, I could understand the response, but 
this? It's just crazy.



-- 
Steven