[Python-Dev] PEP 572: A backward step in readability

[Paddy McCarthy]

On 30 April 2018 at 17:37, Steven D'Aprano <steve at pearwood.info> wrote:
>
> On Mon, Apr 30, 2018 at 08:09:35AM +0100, Paddy McCarthy wrote:
> [...]
> > A PEP that can detract from readability; *readability*, a central
> > tenet of Python, should
> > be rejected, (on principle!), when such objections are treated so dismissively.

> Unless you have an objective measurement of readability, that objection
> is mere subjective personal preference, and not one that everyone agrees
> with.

True, as is the dismissal from the PEP. It is the PEP, looking to
force change to
the language, to prove its point rather than dismiss statements of its
detractors.

>
> The "not readable" objection has been made, extremely vehemently,
> against nearly all major syntax changes to Python:

I don't count myself as usually against change. I applaud the move to Python 3,
I use all of the language features you mention at times; many in my Rosetta Code
task examples; but this change opens the door to a class of bug that will
take care to avoid and  which I remember cutting my C coding to get away from.

The PEP fails to adequately address the concerns of "us naysayers"

For example; if someone were to find out that "assignment expressions were
faster", then you would be hard pressed to stop their over-use.
As soon as someone assigns to a name and uses that same name in the one
expression, you need a better grasp of the order of expression evaluation to
read it. hat is best avoided, in my subjective, personal, view.


> --
> Steve

With respect, but in disagreement - Paddy.