On Sat, 16 Mar 2019 01:41:59 +1100
Steven D'Aprano <steve@pearwood.info> wrote:
> Matrix multiplication is a perfect example: adding the @ operator could
> have been done in Python 0.1 if anyone had thought of it, but it took 15
> years of numerical folk "whinging" about the lack until it happened:
Not so perfect, as the growing use of Python for scientific computing
has made it much more useful to promote a dedicated matrix
multiplication operator than, say, 15 or 20 years ago.
Theres more to it than that, really, but not really relevant here...
This is precisely why I worded my question this way: what has changed
in the last 20 years that make a "+" dict operator more compelling
today than it was? Do we merge dicts much more frequently than we
did?
The analogy doesn't hold because @ was a new operator -- a MUCH bigger change than dimply defining the use of + (or | ) for dicts.
I wouldn't mind the new operator if its meaning was clear-cut. But
here we have potential for confusion, both for writers and readers of
code.
but it's NOT a new operator, it is making use of an existing one, and sure you could guess at a couple meanings, but the merge one is probably one of the most obvious to guess, and one quick test and you know -- I really can't see it being a ongoing source of confusion.
-CHB
Christopher Barker, PhD
Python Language Consulting
- Teaching
- Scientific Software Development
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- wxPython, numpy, scipy, Cython