[Python-ideas] Reducing colon uses to increase readability

[Terry Reedy]

Andrew Toulouse wrote:
> Actually, I found : very clear as a newcomer to Python -- and you might 
> laugh at me for this -- because it corresponded with my visualization of 
> slices as, literally, vertical 'cuts' in the list.

On the contrary, I have advised people for years (in c.l.p posts) to 
realize that 0,1,...n-1,n number the n+1 slice positions before, 
between, and after the n items, which correspond to the possible 
positions of vertical bar  cursors.
 > : is symmetrical and
> straight up-and-down, and for whatever reason this is what works for me 
> when trying to visualize the slice.

   Thanks for pointing out that : is as close to | as possible in 
essential characteristics without being |.  (The latter, of course, 
already being used for bitwise not and in other languages, doubled for 
logical not.)

tjr