python gripes survey

[Andrew Dalke]

Ryan Lowe:
> i was actually more impressed with the union/intersection of lists and
> dictionaries. why the hell cant you join two dictionaries like you can two
> list? the len thing is a pretty minor issue in my mind.

Mostly because there isn't a good reason for what

a = {1: "a"} + {1: "b"}

should be.  The most likely solution is

a = {1: "a"}
a.update({1:"b"})

However, there is something tricky even here.  Watch this:

>>> d = {1: "a"}
>>> d.update({True: "b"})
>>> d
{1: 'b'}
>>>

The key came from the first dict, the value came from the
second.

BTW, an alternative to

a = d1.copy()
a.update(d2)

is

d = dict(d1.items() + d2.items())

> i guess my request was a little vague. im actually more interested in
> missing funtionality of the python language

Missing language functionality is not the same as missing Python
functionality.  What you're asking is - why do other languages
exist?  Python lacks native support for:

  code blocks (like Smalltalk)
  macros (like Lisp)
  lazy evaluation (like .. Haskell? One of the functional languages)
  rich N-dimensional operators (like APL)
  predicate logic (like Prolog)
  symbolic math manipulation (like Mathematica)
  literate programming (like WEB -> Pascal/TeX)
  aspect-oriented programming (like AspectJ)
  stack nature (like Postscript (I had Forth here but didn't want a dup :))
  color as part of syntax (like ColorForth)
  programming by contract (like Eiffel)
  fixed-point data types, as for money (like REXX)
  control over the memory arenas use by an object (like C++)
  direct access to memory, eg, as for I/O to periphials  (like C)
  support for high-performance multiprocessor computing (like Fortran90)

(some are available as external modules, like FixedPoint, but are
not native.)

There's easily more - just look at how many languages have
been invented over the last few decades.

                    Andrew
                    dalke at dalkescientific.com