why no "do : until"?

[Skip Montanaro]

    Sonna> Its a design flaw in Python.
    Becker> in this case I have to agree with the pascalers there's no
    Becker> reason not to ...

If my experience programming C for ten years or so is any indication,
do/until or repeat/until would be used rarely enough to not warrant chewing
up two new keywords.  As others have pointed out, the while 1 construct,
while not ideal, is easily recognized as the common workaround.

    Becker> Python is actually a bit broken as continue inside try blocks is
    Becker> not allowed.

That is an admitted limitation of the implementation (because of the
complexity of generating correct byte code), not a design constraint of the
language.  This is being worked on.  In fact, it may be working by now in
the latest CVS version.

    Robin> The malevolence/stupidity of the data set used by Guido will
    Robin> forbid any such minor modifications of the language as his
    Robin> original tutees presumably chose just those constructs which, in
    Robin> his benevolence, he now allows.

You're free to invent your own language.

-- 
Skip Montanaro (skip at mojam.com)
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