Greg Ewing writes:
I cannot think of any other syntax, certainly not in Python, which relies on a name being precisely one value rather than another in order to work.
Pardon? *Every* time you use a name, you're relying on it being the same as at least one other name somewhere else.
Ah, but here we have the case of two *different* names that are spelled the same[1], and what Steven is pointing out is that for this syntax to work, these different names that are spelled the same must stay in sync. If one's spelling changes, the other must change spelling, too. Footnotes: [1] That is, they are names in disjoint namespaces. Amusingly enough, there is a Stephen J. Turnbull who is a well-known expert on Japanese history, especially military history. Nice guy, no relation, never met in real space, so no confusion for us, no need for =Stephen syntax. But it confuses the heck out of ninja fanatics. ;-)