Python and Flaming Thunder

[Nick Craig-Wood]

Dave Parker <daveparker at flamingthunder.com> wrote:
>  But after getting input from children and teachers, etc, it started
>  feeling right.
> 
>  For example, consider the two statements:
> 
>       x = 8
>       x = 10
> 
>  The reaction from most math teachers (and kids) was "one of those is
>  wrong because x can't equal 2 different things at the same time".

This is a common feature in functional languages...

Eg

Erlang (BEAM) emulator version 5.6.2 [source] [smp:2]
[async-threads:0] [kernel-poll:false]

Eshell V5.6.2  (abort with ^G)
1> X = 8.
8
2> X = 10.
** exception error: no match of right hand side value 10
3>

That error message is the erlang interpreter saying "Hey I know X is
8, and you've said it is 10 - that can't be right", which is pretty
much what math teachers say too...

-- 
Nick Craig-Wood <nick at craig-wood.com> -- http://www.craig-wood.com/nick