[Python-Dev] redefining is

[François Pinard]

[Tim Peters]

> While "is" serves a useful purpose in Python, I wouldn't mind if it were
> harder to spell.

I think I would mind is `is' was harder to spell. `is' and `is not'
are perfect as they stand, for me at least, and I do not remember ever
having problems with these.  The notation is clear, short and sweet.  I
mainly use `is' or `is not' for my own built objects, and systematically
for the `None' object (but never for `False' or `True').  I know what is
going on then.  My feeling is that `is' only gets problematic when one
tries to abuse it, so the problem might be more a question of attitude,
than design.  You cannot always force an attitude through design.

The user-aimed documentation often makes all the difference.  When the
documentation tells me from the start what I should know, and helps me
at sorting good and bad attitudes, it saves me from trouble and grief.

-- 
François Pinard   http://www.iro.umontreal.ca/~pinard