[Python-ideas] Definition Symmetry

[Jason Keene]

Both class and function definitions produce callable objects that are
assigned to a name with nearly identical syntax.  I don't think your
analogy with import/break statements is valid.  Additionally, both
definitions produce very similar byte codes:

              3 MAKE_FUNCTION            0
              6 STORE_FAST               0 (my_func)

              9 MAKE_FUNCTION            0
             12 CALL_FUNCTION            0
             15 BUILD_CLASS
             16 STORE_FAST               0 (MyClass)

The only argument I see for requiring empty parens in function definitions
is a historical one.

On Thursday, January 31, 2013, Ben Finney wrote:

> Jason Keene <jasonkeene at gmail.com <javascript:;>> writes:
>
> > In a way they do the same thing, they both create an object
> > (function/class) from a suite and assign it to the name given after the
> > keyword (def/class).  Sure they do totally different things with the
> suite
> > in creating the object, but in essence it's a name assignment.
>
> In a way, ‘import’ and ‘break’ do the same thing, they trigger the
> compiler to compile a particular set of code bytes. Sure the code bytes
> do totally different things, but in essence it's a statement.
>
> Less facetiously: You can blur your vision as much as you like to make
> ‘class’ and ‘def’ look similar, but that doesn't diminish the importance
> of the distinctions you're ignoring.
>
> --
>  \       “Always do right. This will gratify some people, and astonish |
>   `\                                            the rest.” —Mark Twain |
> _o__)                                                                  |
> Ben Finney
>
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