Python and Flaming Thunder

[John Salerno]

On Mon, 12 May 2008 16:39:25 -0700 (PDT)
Dave Parker <daveparker at flamingthunder.com> wrote:

> I've read that one of the design goals of Python was to create an easy-
> to-use English-like language.  That's also one of the design goals of
> Flaming Thunder at http://www.flamingthunder.com/  , which has proven
> easy enough for even elementary school students, even though it is
> designed for scientists, mathematicians and engineers.

What an interesting and weird language! :) But I have a question concerning something like this, from the website:

----------------------------------------------------
Flaming Thunder uses set statements for assignment:

Set x to "concrete".

Flaming Thunder does not abbreviate or cojoin common English words. For example, go and to are separate words:

Read commmand.  If command = "quit" then go to end.
-----------------------------------------------------

There doesn't seem to be any consistency here. Why say:

set x to "concrete"

and then say:

if command = "quit"

Why are you using the "set...to..." terminology instead of the "=" for assignments, but then in an if test statement, you *do* use the "="???

Would it be valid to say:

x = "concrete"

or to say:

if command (is) set to "quit"

??????