Cult-like behaviour [was Re: Kindness]

[Jim Lee]

On 07/14/18 02:09, Christian Gollwitzer wrote:
> Am 14.07.18 um 10:00 schrieb Marko Rauhamaa:
>> Steven D'Aprano <steve+comp.lang.python at pearwood.info>:
>>> Apparently Marko didn't notice the irony of suggesting that we display
>>> excessive commitment to GvR
>>
>> The object of the "cult" isn't GvR, it's Python itself.
>>
>
> I agree with this observation and it feels quite strange to me. I 
> regularly use three languages (C++, Python and Tcl), all three are 
> under active development, and IMHO all of them have flaws, there are 
> is always something which is elegantly solved in one system but needs 
> more work in another.
>
> But only in the Python community I have seen a strange "worship" of 
> the language of choice, the believe it is 100% perfect. If something 
> isn't available, then "Python doesn't need it. It's missing for a 
> reason! You're holding ot wrong!" This opinion is not so prevalent in 
> other communities. Of course, C++ programmers also think that C++ is 
> the best language, but they regularly admit that Python does have an 
> edge in clear syntax sometimes.
>
> Typical conversation on this list / newsgroup:
>
> Q: "I could need a ?: operator just like in C. Is there something like 
> that in Python?"
>
> A1: "No. You don't want it. It makes the code confusing. You said, you 
> have a problem, you tried ?: - now you have two problems."
>
> A2: "Are you crazy? You want to make Python like Java?"
>
> A3: "Guido left it out for a reason. Guido's time machine has seen 
> that in 5 years you'll wonder what the hell ?: means"
>
> A4: "?: is unpythonic, because there is already One Obvious Way To Do It"
>
> --------- in the meantime, PEP 308 passes ------------
> A1: "Oh, nice, Python has invented a new feature! We're the leading 
> edge in language development!"
>
> A2: "All hail to Guido. In 5 years, you'll ned that, and then His 
> Time-Machine has struck again!"
>
> Q: "But isn't this the same as ?: in Java or C?"
>
> A3: "Never. There is a HUGE difference! ?: is sooo confusing. But a if 
> c else b, look, the order is reversed. This is much more natural! And 
> not strange punctuation, English words. Python is executable pseudocode!"
>
>
>     Christian

+1000 !!

-Jim