Why "flat is better than nested"?

[kj]

In <mailman.278.1288129342.2218.python-list at python.org> Steve Holden <steve at holdenweb.com> writes:

>On 10/26/2010 2:44 PM, kj wrote:
>> In <mailman.258.1288104186.2218.python-list at python.org> Steve Holden <steve at holdenweb.com> writes:
>> 
>>> The answer is probably the same as you will see if you try
>> 
>>>  from __future__ import braces
>> 
>>> That feature *is* available in Python 2.6 ;-)
>> 
>> Now, that's hilarious.
>> 
>See, there *is* a place for humor :)

I have nothing against humor.  The reason why I find "import braces"
funny is that it is so obviously a joke.  But I do find it mildly
annoying (and just mildly) that a joke/hoax/farce like ZoP/this.py
is built into the standard lib, because a lot of people (not just
me) don't realize it's a joke.  (In fact, the reason I learned
about ZoP/this.py was that in a reply to some post of mine in some
Python forum [maybe c.l.py], the responder simply told me to run
"import this", with the implication that it would answer whatever
it was that I was asking about.  Either this person took ZoP
seriously, or was just having fun at a noob's expense.  Either way,
I don't like it.)  Learning a new programming language (which
entails becoming familiar not only with some new syntax, but new
libraries, new general ideas, new ways of doing stuff), is already
disorienting enough as it is.  I don't see the point of making the
task any harder than it already is by injecting additional *gratuitous
confusion* in the form pseudo-rogramming advice that apparently no
experienced Python program really believes/takes seriously anyway.
I just don't understand the need of having this.py in the std lib
of all places.  It's not like there's any risk of losing the ZoP
if it were removed from it.  Zillions of copies of it would be
floating around in the web.  But it would not be confused as
something that is somehow endorsed by those who put together the
distribution.

I know.  Not a chance. :)

~kj