True inconsistency in Python

[Ben Finney]

On Thu, 13 Nov 2003 06:26:09 GMT, Ron Adam wrote:
> The only thing that surprises me in all of this is the "if var:"
> evaluating to true for numbers other than 1.  That's new to me,  I
> would have expected an exception in that case.

Python has only recently gained a Boolean type ('bool').

    <http://www.python.org/peps/pep-0285.html>

Before that, Boolean logic was done with integer values.  Zero equated
to Boolean false, non-zero equated to Boolean true; and the default
Boolean true value was simply the integer 1.

This conflation of types is confusing, and (like many other languages)
Python has now "grown a Boolean type" to distinguish integer 0 and 1
from Boolean False and True.  However, the previous behaviour is still
supported -- for how long, I don't know.

-- 
 \     "Injustice is relatively easy to bear; what stings is justice." |
  `\                                               -- Henry L. Mencken |
_o__)                                                                  |
Ben Finney <http://bignose.squidly.org/>