[Python-ideas] A proposal to rename the term "duck typing"

[Erik Bray]

On Sun, Aug 28, 2016 at 7:41 PM, Bruce Leban <bruce at leban.us> wrote:
>
>
> On Sunday, August 28, 2016, ROGER GRAYDON CHRISTMAN <dvl at psu.edu> wrote:
>>
>>
>> We have a term in our lexicon "duck typing" that traces its origins, in
>> part to a quote along the lines of
>> "If it walks like a duck, and talks like a duck, ..."
>>
>> ...
>>
>> In that case, it would be far more appropriate for use to call this sort
>> of type analysis "witch typing"
>
>
> I believe the duck is out of the bag on this one. First the "duck test" that
> you quote above is over 100 years old.
> https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duck_test So that's entrenched.
>
> Second this isn't a Python-only term anymore and language is notoriously
> hard to change prescriptively.
>
> Third I think the duck test is more appropriate than the witch test which
> involves the testers faking the results.

Agreed.

It's also fairly problematic given that you're deriving the term from
a sketch about witch hunts.  While the Monty Python sketch is
hilarious and, it's the ignorant mob that's the butt of the joke
rather than the "witch", this joke doesn't necessarily play well
universally, especially given that there places today where women are
being killed for being "witches".

Best,
Erik