[Python-Dev] PEP 359: The "make" Statement

skip at pobox.com skip at pobox.com
Fri Apr 14 15:39:00 CEST 2006


    Travis> I generally like the idea.  A different name would be better.

    Travis> Here's a list of approximate synonyms that might work (ordered
    Travis> by my preference...)

    ... lots of suggestions elided ...

None of the alternatives seem better to me than "make" or "create".  In
fact, many don't seem to me (as a native English speaker) to be fairly
obscure synonyms.  "construct" or "build" are maybe the best of the lot if
neither "make" nor "create" are deemed worthy.  I'm willing to put up with
the pain of some breakage to have a better keyword.  That's what __future__
imports are for.

We need to consider that Python exists outside the English-speaking world.
Making a strong connection between the keyword and its action is important.
For that reason I'd much prefer simple, common keywords.  Yes, I realize
that some keywords in Python are more symbolic than that: "def", "lambda",
"del", "elif", "exec".  But most keywords in Python are common English,
understood by almost anyone having any facility with the language.

Skip


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