Python classes: Simplify?

[Steven Lehar]

It seems to me that the Python class system is needlessly confusing. Am I
missing something?

For example in the class Complex given in the documentation

*class Complex:*
*    def __init__(self, realpart, imagpart):*
*        self.r = realpart*
*        self.i = imagpart*
*
*
*x = Complex(3.0, -4.5)*

I initially found it profoundly confusing that __init__( ) calls for 3
arguments, but you call Complex( ) with 2. Furthermore, why not call the
initialization function after the class name as is done in other languages?
Isn't that the simplest conceptually? Demonstrating with the above example:

*class Complex:*
*    def Complex(realpart, imagpart):*
*        Complex.r = realpart*
*        Complex.i = imagpart*
*
*
*x = Complex(3.0, -4.5)*
*
*
Is there a good reason why classes cannot be defined that way? (Besides the
problem of backward-compatibility)
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