[Python-ideas] What about allowing '?' in method names?

[Aaron Rubin]

On Fri, Aug 7, 2009 at 6:53 PM, Steven D'Aprano <steve at pearwood.info> wrote:

> On Sat, 8 Aug 2009 11:07:30 am Tennessee Leeuwenburg wrote:
> > Hi all,
> > Well, the thread's basically concluded, but I'm not sure if it's
> > appropriate to just 'leave it hanging' seeing as I instigated the
> > thread. So thanks all for the discussion points and I think we can
> > wrap things up now. Please feel free to comment on the summary below
> > if you think it doesn't have all the relevant details.
> >
> > To summarise the discussion for posterity:
> >
> > On the Plus Side:
> >    ? is part of English grammar, and is an intuitive clue-in that a
> > yes/no, true/false response is expected as a result.
>
> What makes you think that the question mark is a clue-in that a yes/no
> answer is expected?


I think was the poster implied is that when a question mark is appended to
any statement (or word for that matter), it becomes an existence or yes/no
question.  There are exceptions, but they need the qualifiers "when, who,
where, why, etc." prepended (as you have proven below).  Otherwise, they are
Boolean.  Method or function names (the subject of this thread) are
typically nouns or verbs, making the point more poignant.


>
> When did you come up with the idea?
>
> Who would agree with you?
>
> Where can I see some evidence for that suggestion?
>
>
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