Python Rocks!

[Bijan Parsia]

tye4 <tye4 at yahoo.com> wrote:

[snip]
> 
> How hard can it be to add 'end' indicators to the language.. If these end
> indicators are added, the language would still be backward compatible. I
> can't believe nobody has fixed this for so long.

"Fixed" suggests that it's a bug or a design flaw. It's clearly not a
bug, and equally clearly not a straightforward, obvious design *flaw*.
It is a design decision, about which reasonable people disagree, and
wackos go on an on about ;)

Plus, if you're worried about indendation, it's odd that you focused on
"end"s. There are no "begins" either. Blocks are marked by indentation
level, which is a standard convention in most language style guides.
Python merely enforces this, and then drops the "superfluous"
delimiters.

(def, class, etc. all lack "end"s too, remember.)

Since there are no lack of languages with block level delimiters, why
not consider Python as an experiment? It probably *will* introduce
problems you're used to not having (editor choice, tab setting, etc.),
but perhaps it will eliminate problems you are used *to* having.

If so, it's a simple design decision--a trade off. And it may come down
the the emphasis different people place on certain difficulties. I
suggest that you develop a methodology for evaluting the troubles
indendation brings vs. the trouble block delimiters bring, and then
apply that methodology first to yourself. That can be the preliminary
result. After the several months of study, present the result to the
newsgroup. I'm sure it will garner much interest and people will be
eager to apply your methodology to more subjects. In two years or so, we
would have the definite evidence, all things going well, to make a fully
informed decision. Just in time for Python 2.

You might start reading back in Deja news, not just for preliminary data
(a simple...er..."tabulation" of pro and con indentation voices would be
an interesting start), but for literature references (Knuth, in
particular).

Cheers,
Bijan Parsia.