[Types-sig] Re: Static typing considered ... UGLY

[Paul Prescod]

Edward Welbourne wrote:
> 
> Might I humbly suggest that:
> 
>   to incorporate static typing into python would change it
>   beyond recognition

Our intention is that all existing Python code would continue to be
valid modulo the possible introduction of a couple of keywords. If that
still doesn't sound like it meets your needs then I'll just have to
apologize in advance.

A few other points:

 * if Python is never allowed to make major changes it will die
prematurely. The other languages (except Scheme and other arguably dead
languages) grow and evolve.

 * I would be more interested in your technical concerns. "It's ugly" is
too subjective....especially when nobody considers it "ugly" in every
other programming language that has type declarations. Rather, I think
that type declarations improve code readability.

 * the assertion syntax strikes me as doubly ugly. Imagine a function
that takes 10 arguments with 10 of those assertions.

 * for me, the goal is not performance. Performance considerations are
secondary.

-- 
 Paul Prescod  - ISOGEN Consulting Engineer speaking for himself
Floggings will increase until morale improves.