semicolon at end of python's statements

[Roy Smith]

In article <mailman.523.1378163859.19984.python-list at python.org>,
 Modulok <modulok at gmail.com> wrote:

> > So? Indeed there are too many people looking at these things as fighting
> > for the one true way. That is IMO part a big part of the problem. I have
> > no problem if someone else uses a different style than I do. Python as
> > a language tries too hard to enforce a one true way.
> >
> >
> 
> Try maintaining a non-trivial body of JavaScript, or Perl (that you didn't
> write) for a while. You'll soon appreciate the One True Way of thinking lol.
> 
> -Modulok-

There is indeed value in One True Way.  Part of the value is that 
everybody learns That Way and it makes it easier to understand everybody 
else's code.  But, more than that, it saves the zillions of hours of 
time wasted arguing about which way is better.

For example, at work, we've agreed that pep-8 is our style guide for 
Python.  We don't follow it very closely, and we've each developed our 
own styles that deviate from it in specific ways, but at least we no 
longer have arguments about stupid things like how much whitespace to 
use.  Mostly, we all just put up with each other's eccentricities.  We 
all know that the only valid argument is whether some piece of code is 
or isn't pep-8 compliant, and if we drag out that argument, we risk 
having it thrown back in our own faces.

I believe Reagan and Gorbachev used much the same strategy.