Python is DOOMED! Again!

[Paul Rubin]

Chris Angelico <rosuav at gmail.com> writes:
> If you say "x = 5" and pass it to a function that accepts "Int or
> String", the compiler knows that it's actually an Int.  If you then
> also pass that x to something that takes "Int or List", is that legal?

You'd have to do that with type classes, but yeah, the compiler figures
out that x is an Int.

> If so, then 5 is separate from the "or String" and "or List" parts,
> and Nothing is actually typed. If not, then it's x, not Nothing, that
> has the type.

Not sure what you mean there.  Haskell is statically typed which means
all expressions including literals have types.  And an equality like 
x = y + z requires the two sides of the equality to have the same type.  
So if you say x = Nothing and the compiler infers (from some other place
in the program) that x has type Maybe String, then the Nothing you wrote
also has type Maybe String.