[Python-ideas] Making colons optional?

[Riobard Zhan]

On 6-Feb-09, at 5:41 AM, spir wrote:

> Le Fri, 06 Feb 2009 08:40:27 +1100,
> Ben Finney <ben+python at benfinney.id.au> a écrit :
>
>>> We don't like semicolons in Python, but what would stop a hard-core
>>> C users to end every statement with a semicolon? They have the
>>> choice.
>>
>> Laziness (the good kind). Once someone discovers that they *don't  
>> have
>> to* add the semicolons, and it doesn't affect the operation of their
>> program, those semicolons will, I predict, become much less frequent.
>
> Ditto for colons!
>
> <div class = "meta_note">
> Strange that you do not realize that all arguments pro / against  
> semi-colons apply to colons as well: they have same syntactic  
> position and the same semantics. So that clear, consistent, choices  
> are:
> * both to trash
> * both compulsery
> * both optional
> My opinion: the rest is blahblah confusing habits and good design.  
> Saying "I prefere this because I'm used to it." is fully  
> respectable. This does not mean that other options are weaker design  
> choices.
> </div>


Exactly! Making colons optional just like colons makes Python more  
consistent. It is a better design, even though we might have to fight  
old habits at the beginning.