Steve Holden wrote: [was Python-list digest, Vol 1 #10572 - 14 msgs]

[Philip Swartzleonard]

Michael Gilfix || Sat 27 Apr 2002 11:20:25a:

> On Sat, Apr 27 @ 20:07, Roman Neuhauser wrote:
>>     I disagree entirely.
>> 
>>     When I write code @work, I think "if 'x' is equal to 0", because
>>     one of my colleagues couldn't wrap his head around the safe way.
>>     When I write my own code, I think "if 0 is equal to 'x'". No,
>>     wait, I don't know what I think: the thought is abstract, and can
>>     be written both ways. But I actually have to remember to put the
>>     variable on the left, and the constant on the right side.
> 
>   For me, it works the other way around. If I'm programming in an
> imperative paradigm, my thought process is sequential. I'm usually at
> state A and want to get to state B and in the imperative paradigm,
> my program is the list of steps to get from A to B.  Therefore,
> logically, it makes sense to think of x == '0' because by deduction,
> sometime earlier x must have been declared and assigned to and this is
> a pre-step to 0.

I already made some other over-parenthesised comments before I realized 
this was responded to by ML. Anyway, when i'm writing a line like that, 
I actually think _in language_ 'if x is/equals zero', sometimes I even 
mumble things like this if i'm working fast and/or under pressure. Come 
to think of it, i treat it pretty much the same as every other type of 
writing I do... I'm more or less saying these words to myself in my head 
as i'm typing (and i'm by no means slow at this =). 

-- 
Philip Sw "Starweaver" [rasx] :: www.rubydragon.com
"yattaze~~! oyajiii~~!" - dan, super-puzzle-fighter-2-x