What does Python fix?

[Tim Peters]

[Jason Orendorff, shows vanilla use of nested scopes]

[David Eppstein]
> Ok, you've convinced me that expanding lambda into unnamed code-blocks is
> unnecessary, and confirmed Tim's point that naming the code blocks can be
> better than lambdas for readability.

I was just pulling James Althoff's leg -- he expected it, and I enjoy it.
Still, this is just another variant of "the eff-bot's favourite lambda
refactoring rule" (from a post by Fredrik Lundh):

    1) write a lambda function
    2) write a comment explaining what the heck that lambda does
    3) study the comment for a while, and think of a name that captures
       the essence of the comment
    4) convert the lambda to a def statement, using that name
    5) remove the comment

lambdas didn't really add anything to Python, except to give ex-Schemers
false hope <wink>.

> Although in that particular example, I'm not convinced that
> having any kind  of nested function is better than just expanding the
> expressions they represent in-line, with appropriate comments...

And once you've got that comment worked out, you can jump straight to the
effbot's step #3!