[Python-Dev] Adding C ternary select (a?b:c) to Python?

[Tim Peters]

[Tim]
>> If I didn't know better <wink>, I'd say there's an actual
>> consensus here: it seems we would all agree to "(if cond then
>> true else false)" spelling.

[Ka-Ping Yee]
> Actually, i'm afraid i don't.  I initially chose the "then/else"
> spelling specifically because "if" flags the eye to the beginning
> of a statement.  My line of thinking was, "'then' for expressions,
> 'if' for statements."

OK, I'm baffled.  I probably don't recall your suggestion -- the implication
is that it didn't use the word "if"?  If so, I probably read it and assumed
you left out the "if" my mistake <wink>.  Seriously, "excessively novel"
isn't called for here:  *tons* of languages have used if/then/else for this
purpose without difficulty.

...

>> ... couldn't the grammar use WORD and verify it's
>> specifically "then" later?

> Quite possibly, yes -- though i figured it wouldn't be *too*
> large an issue to make "then" a keyword, since i can't imagine
> anyone naming a symbol "then" except under the most freakish
> of circumstances.  A quick check shows no symbol by that name
> in any of the Python scripts or modules we have here.

No keyword has been added to Python since "lambda", and you can be certain
Guido will never add another (at least not to Python1) -- this is an
absolute non-starter.  Ping, *you* used to know this better than anyone
<wink>.