Convention vs. fascism

[Ben Finney]

Steven D'Aprano <steve at REMOVE-THIS-cybersource.com.au> writes:

> On Fri, 16 Jan 2009 07:58:49 +1100, Ben Finney wrote:
> 
> > Steven D'Aprano <steve at REMOVE-THIS-cybersource.com.au> writes:
> > 
> >> On Thu, 15 Jan 2009 10:08:37 +0100, Diez B. Roggisch wrote:
> >> 
> >> > Familiarize yourself with PEP8 for naming and
> >> > coding-conventions first.
> >> 
> >> Enough of the PEP8-fascism please. It is not compulsory to follow
> >> PEP8 in order to be allowed to learn Python.
> > 
> > You are responding to something in Diez's message that I can't
> > see. Nowhere does he say anything about PEP 8 being compulsory.
> > Quite the contrary, he suggests gaining *familiarity* with PEP 8,
> > and calls it a set of *conventions*.
> 
> He doesn't *suggest* anything. He uses the imperative case -- it's a 
> command.

Regardless, even if it was an imperial order with government backing,
the instruction was not to *follow* PEP 8, but to *become familiar
with* it. That isn't fascism, and to read that into it and assume a
commandment that Diez didn't make is overreaction on your part.

-- 
 \           “[W]hoever is able to make you absurd is able to make you |
  `\                                                unjust.” —Voltaire |
_o__)                                                                  |
Ben Finney