checking if a list is empty

[D'Arcy J.M. Cain]

On Wed, 11 May 2011 15:05:45 +0100
Hans Georg Schaathun <hg at schaathun.net> wrote:
> What could elif mean other than else: if?

If run by an elf?  Who knows.  You do, of course, if you have learned
the basics of the language you are using.

> if x could, for instance,  mean "if x is defined".

It could also mean "if x was created on a Tuesday."  A short
introduction to the language explains what it actually means.

When did we come to the idea that people should be able to program in a
language without actually learning it?  The fact that Python comes so
close to that possibility is nothing short of revolutionary.  I suppose
one day a reasoning android will be able to sit down at the terminal of
a star ship computer and ask simple questions while making random hand
movements across a screen but for now I am afraid that programmers
still have to learn programming.

-- 
D'Arcy J.M. Cain <darcy at druid.net>         |  Democracy is three wolves
http://www.druid.net/darcy/                |  and a sheep voting on
+1 416 425 1212     (DoD#0082)    (eNTP)   |  what's for dinner.