[Python-Dev] FYI: Perl 6, Topaz, and exploding kidneys

[David Ascher]

On Thu, 30 Sep 1999, Barry A. Warsaw wrote:

> Another interesting tidbit we've addressed here:
> 
>     Was the syntax appropriate for declaring variables to give
>     appropriate hints to a hypothetical compiler? That is to say MY
>     INT $X or MY STR $Y -- and I thought that the INT and the STR and
>     the NUM should be suffixes, something like MY $X:NUM-and, in fact,
>     that suffix syntax is something that Larry officially has blessed,
>     but just not for this purpose.

What struck me about that paragraph is that if I understand the comment
correctly, Larry is choosing a mapping from a specific syntax to some
purpose (unspecified in the excerpt) while an otherwise well-informed Perl
user (Chip) 'naturally' wanted to map said syntax to a different
semantics.  When this happens in Python-land, Guido says "nope, neither".

--david