A Bug By Any Other Name ...

[Albert van der Horst]

In article <mailman.3309.1247861321.8015.python-list at python.org>,
J. Cliff Dyer <jcd at sdf.lonestar.org> wrote:
>On Fri, 2009-07-17 at 20:53 +0000, Albert van der Horst wrote:
>> Because unlike in algol 68 in python whitespace is relevant,
>> we could get by with requiring whitespace:
>>         x= -q                       # okay
>>         a<b and -a<c and -b < -d    # okay
>>         8 ** -2                     # okay
>
>This is actually quite thoroughly untrue.  In python, *indentation* is
>significant.  Whitespace (internal to a line) is not.  You can even call
>methods like this if you want:

You totally don't get it. You describe how python is now.
I propose a change to be made to python. Small wonder that that is
different from what it is now.

>
>>>> s = 'abc'
>>>> s        .     upper()
>ABC

You prove nothing by giving examples.
You can disprove by giving one counter example,
here it goes.

Whitespace (internal to a line) is significant.
In Python you cannot change
      xleftgoing = 123000000
to
        x left going = 123 000 000

(You can in Algol68)

>Obviously, that's A Bad Idea(tm), but python's parser won't stop you.

What is a bad idea?
Apparently you are not talking about my idea of changing the parser.
("Pythons parser won't stop you from changing the parser" doesn't
make sense.)

>The ++ operator gotcha is so minor that I can't remember anyone actually
>asking about it on the list (who was actually facing it as a
>problem--this thread was started by idle speculation).  Can we not
>change the language syntax to address non-issues?

As other languages have an Eleventh Commandment against concatenating
operators, the larger issue is hardly futile.

>
>Practicality beats purity, a.k.a. don't you have something better to do?

I'm having a great time, thank you!

>Cheers,
>Cliff

Groetjes Albert

--
-- 
Albert van der Horst, UTRECHT,THE NETHERLANDS
Economic growth -- being exponential -- ultimately falters.
albert at spe&ar&c.xs4all.nl &=n http://home.hccnet.nl/a.w.m.van.der.horst