operator overloading + - / * = etc...

[Fredrik Lundh]

Piet van Oostrum wrote:

> The official Python documentation (language reference manual) talks a lot
> about variables. So it seems silly to say that Python doesn't have
> variables.

the language reference mostly uses the term "variables" when discussing 
local variables and instance variables, and is (usually) careful to talk 
about "names" when talking about binding behaviour.

for example, the description of the assignment statement:

   http://www.python.org/doc/2.4.3/ref/assignment.html

only uses "variable" twice, in a note that discussing a given code 
example.  the more formal parts of that page consistently use the term 
"name".

it's often a good idea to be a bit careful when discussing detailed 
behaviour, especially in contexts where the audience may associate 
variables with "small areas of memory".

(it's also important to realize that the language reference is a hodge-
podge of incremental revisions with no grand plan behind it; it was a 
bit more consistent when Guido wrote the first version.)

</F>