[Python-Dev] PEP 348 (exception reorg) revised again

[Raymond Hettinger]

> > It is completely Pythonic to have bare keywords
> > apply a useful default as an aid to readability and ease of coding.

[Oleg]
>    Bare "while:" was rejected because of "while WHAT?!". Bare
"except:"
> does not cause "except WHAT?!" reaction. Isn't it funny?! (-:

It's both funny and interesting.  It raises the question of what makes
the two different -- why is one instantly recognizable and why does the
other trigger a gag reflex.  My thought is that bare excepts occur in a
context that makes their meaning clear:

    try:
        block()
    except SpecificException:
        se_handler()
    except:
        handle_everything_else()

The pattern of use is similar to a "default" in a switch-case construct.
Viewed out-of-context, one would ask "default WHAT".  Viewed after a
series of case statements, the meaning is vividly clear.


Raymond