[Types-sig] What is the Essence of Python?

[Greg Stein]

On Wed, 15 Dec 1999, Paul Prescod wrote:
> "Golden, Howard" wrote:
> > 
> > I reiterate that we should define what is the essence of Python, so we know
> > what sort of dynamicism and flexibility we are trying to preserve, and what
> > is superfluous.  Until we do this, we are dealing with a squishy set of
> > requirements.
> 
> I think that that is always the case in language design. What one person
> hates is what another loves: even in Python! I don't know how to answer
> your question. I think that we can only argue about particular features
> "when we get to them."

I agree. It is like asking somebody to describe the color "blue" :-)

I think there is a yardstick in there somewhere, that you can hold up to a
feature or design and say "that's Pythonic" or "that's not". But it is
very subjective and incapable of being described...

Cheers,
-g

-- 
Greg Stein, http://www.lyra.org/