[Python-ideas] Allow additional separator character in variables

[Stephan Houben]

Note that Python already allows Unicode characters from class "connector
punctuations (Pc)" in identifiers.

No dashes in that, but if you are into that kind of thing,
then this⁀is⁀a⁀valid⁀identifier .

Stephan

Op 19 nov. 2017 08:13 schreef "Bruce Leban" <bruce at leban.us>:

>
> On Sat, Nov 18, 2017 at 8:44 PM, Mikhail V <mikhailwas at gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>>
>> That seems to be another showcase of misfotune that Python
>> uses hyphen for minus operator. I know it is not language designer's
>> fault, because basic ASCII simply did not not include minus character.
>> But do you realise that the **current** problem you are adressing is that
>> font designers forgot to make the minus character (in monospaced font)
>> distinctive from the hyphen character?
>
>
> It is not a misfortune or even true that Python uses hyphen for minus.
> The name of the character used in Python is HYPHEN-MINUS.
> http://unicode.org/cldr/utility/character.jsp?a=002D
> It is both a hyphen and a minus. And it served double-duty even in ASCII.
>
> A language that requires using characters not present on standard
> keyboards is unlikely to be successful.
> Or we would all be programming in APL.
>
> And it's not as if no one every thought of this before. Maybe you've heard
> of COBOL?
>
>
>>
>>
> > Would hyphens in variable names improve readability sometimes?
>>
>> For reading code, indeed, always and very much.
>
>
> No it wouldn't. You're personal preference is hardly authoritative. I am
> extremely skeptical that a legitimate usability study would find that
> record-count is better than record_count.
>
> There are studies that monospace fonts are harder to read than
> proportionally spaced, e.g., http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/
> 001872088302500303. Yet many programmers use monospace fonts because the
> advantages -- in our opinions -- outweigh the disadvantages. And the
> reality is that only my opinion matters when I'm choosing the fonts to
> display my code in, not yours.
>
> You-know-what-really-would-increase-readability?
> Allowing-the-use-of-spaces-in-variable-names. As-you-can-see-from-this-
> example-hyphens-between-words-decreases-readability.
>
> And because spaces between words is mostly not valid syntax currently,
> this change would be easier to introduce than breaking every single program
> out there by re-purposing hyphen-minus. But I'm not seriously proposing
> this because I think the modest benefits are outweighed by the many
> problems it would introduce.
>
> --- Bruce
>
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