[Python-3000] Fwd: proposal: disambiguating type

[Guido van Rossum]

On 5/23/06, Blake Winton <bwinton at latte.ca> wrote:
> On Tue, May 23, 2006 at 09:54:57AM -0700, Guido van Rossum wrote:
> > > (In fact, the first time I tried to use type( x ), I accidentally typed
> > > 'typeof( x )'. So this is one data point as to how intuitive the name is.)
> > The only intuitive interface is the nipple. Everything else is
> > learned. (Jef Raskin, I believe.)
>
> As the father of two young girls, let me add that the nipple isn't
> particularly intuitive either.  It was a two-to-three day intensive
> learning process for my wife and both babies.  (Although it was easier
> the second time around, since then at least one of them knew what was
> supposed to be happening.)

I know all about that. :-)

Anyway, it appears that the quote is commonly attributed to Bruce
Edigar, and it should properly be  "The only intuitive interface is
the nipple. After that, it's all learned." it is true that Jef Raskin
has often been chiding people for calling something "intuitive" when
they mean "familiar".

-- 
--Guido van Rossum (home page: http://www.python.org/~guido/)