'is not' or '!='

[Rustom Mody]

On Wednesday, August 20, 2014 10:29:13 AM UTC+5:30, Steven D'Aprano wrote:
> On Tue, 19 Aug 2014 21:01:49 -0700, Rustom Mody wrote:

> > I also (once!) had a student who started every single
> > variable/function/filename with his name!!

> I recall somebody on the Python tutor mailing list doing that. They did 
> so because their course instructor made it a requirement and failed 
> anyone who didn't.

> No reason was given, according to the student, but I imagine that the 
> instructor was trying to teach them "best practice" *cough* for multi-
> user projects, so you can identify who first created each function or 
> variable.

It is interesting (and insidious) how technology shapes our thinking
patterns.  Before git, such tracking could be a headache.  Things like
git blame give an automated list 'blaming' each line on its
perpetrator.

Likewise when teaching (with) C it was immoral behaviour to not match
malloc and free, file-open and close.
Today the first is impossible and the second is unnecessary and wasteful