"as" keyword woes

[Steven D'Aprano]

On Sat, 06 Dec 2008 18:09:07 -0800, Mensanator wrote:

> On Dec 6, 6:25�pm, Steven D'Aprano <st... at REMOVE-THIS-
> cybersource.com.au> wrote:
>> On Sat, 06 Dec 2008 14:36:07 -0800, Mensanator wrote:
>> > It was extremely simple for me to fix the sympy module where I
>> > noticed it. I'm not saying it wasn't a problem, I'm saying it wasn't
>> > BROKEN.
>>
>> If it wasn't broken, why did you need to fix it?
> 
> If my tire is flat, I have to fix it. But it may just need air, in which
> case it's not broken.

In which case it doesn't need *fixing*, it needs *refilling*. A flat tire 
isn't necessarily broken. It is broken if it has a puncture or a slow 
leak or has been ripped to shreds, but not if somebody merely let the air 
out. "Air comes out if you open the value" is within standard operating 
parameters and the tire is therefore working correctly.



>> "Broken" means "not working", not "unfixable".
> 
> So, you're saying that Python is broken and will remain so forever,
> since "as" will remain a keyword?

I don't think that having "as" be a keyword is broken. I think the OP's 
code is broken for Python 2.6 or better, and it will remain broken 
forever unless he fixes it or chooses to stay with 2.5.

> Are you advocating that we all switch to Ruby?

Why do you think that? Do you imagine that Ruby has no features which are 
inconvenient to users, or backwards incompatibilities, or warts, or that 
it is impossible to write broken Ruby code?



-- 
Steven