Explicit is better than Implicit

[Python]

On Thu, Aug 06, 2020 at 07:19:01PM -0500, Skip Montanaro wrote:
> >
> > When Excel reads a file, it looks for stuff and decides to upgrade its
> > type. Eg dates etc (particularly pernicious with US-style dates versus
> > the rest of the planet).  Mojibake for data ensues.
> >
> > As always, I am reminded of Heuer's Razor:
> >
> >     If it can't be turned off, it's not a feature. - Karl Heuer
> >
> 
> Good one. I always remember the start-up days (late 90s) when I developed
> and maintained an online concert calendar (Musi-Cal) written in Python. The
> technology got bought by another start-up (Mojam) who used Perl for their
> web stuff. Both front end systems talked to my Python-based back end
> (communication between both front ends and the one back end was via
> XML-RPC). I was sometimes frustrated by the stuff Perl did. The one which
> stuck with me all these years was its silent conversion of the band name "
> 311 <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/311_(band)>" to the integer 311 on which
> my Python backend obligingly barfed. I eventually had to put in data type
> checks for all fields in my back end (my front end already had that sort of
> input validation) as I could no longer assume a sentient front end was
> handing it data.

311 rocks.  That Perl code, OTOH... =8^)  

Obviously, it's a bug. One that likely is not that hard to correct...
FWIW this is what I've long hated about Perl:  Yes, TIMTOWTDI, but
nearly all of them are subtlely (or sometimes not-so-subtlely) wrong.
You *can* write good Perl but it encourages the inexperienced to find
one of the wrong ways, by providing the illusion that it is easy to
work with.

Python is *actually* easy to work with... most of the time.  "If you
want more things for you buck there's no luck..." =8^)