invert or reverse a string... warning this is a rant

[Steven D'Aprano]

On Thu, 19 Oct 2006 20:07:27 -0400, Brad wrote:

> Steven D'Aprano wrote:
> 
>> Gah!!! That's *awful* in so many ways.
> 
> Thanks... I'm used to hearing encouragement like that. After a while you 
> begin to believe that everything you do will be awful, so why even 
> bother trying?

Well obviously I hit a sore point. I wrote a little hastily, and wasn't
quite as polite as I could have been -- but it is true, the function you
wrote isn't good: a seven line function with five problems with it.

Your function was not at all Pythonic; but it isn't even good style for
any serious programming language I know of. I'm sorry if I came across as
abrasive, but I'm even sorrier that you can't take constructive criticism.
Some techniques are bad practice in any language.


> It has been my experience that Python has discouraging forums with 
> someone always calling someone else an idiot or telling them they are 
> awful in some way. I love Python, but the community is way too negative, 
> uptight and generally down on users who do not have PhD's in CS or Math.
>
> Do you have children? How would your child feel if he brought you 
> something he had made and you then told him it was awful in *sooo* many 
> ways. How does that reflect on you and the community you represent?

You don't need a PhD to write good code. And do you really want to be
treated as a child?

Perhaps I could/should have sugar-coated my earlier comments, but I've
seen no reason to retract any of them. 


-- 
Steven.