Proposal: allow '?' and '!' in identifiers

Dave Kuhlman dkuhlman at rexx.com
Tue Mar 6 15:04:38 EST 2001


Gregory Jorgensen <gregj at pobox.com> wrote:
> 
> While I'm ranting... features of programming languages aren't intuitive. Some
> people may deduce the syntax easier than others, but that is experience, not
> intuition. My intuition tells me that any non-alphanumeric character in a symbol
> name may mean something special to the compiler; why would I think ? relates to
> its English usage when _ doesn't? In the context of reading and learning Python
> neither ? nor _ say anything to my intuition.

Actually, there are no English words or Spanish words that contain
a question mark.  A question mark is a punctuation symbol that
comes at the end of a sentence.  So, your English and Spanish
intuition will be fooled too.  In the following sentences "Here is
a shoe." and "Where is the shoe?" the last word is spelled the same.


  - Dave

> 
> 
> 
> Greg Jorgensen
> Deschooling Society
> gregj at pobox.com

-- 
Dave Kuhlman
dkuhlman at rexx.com



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