From: fatjim at home.com (Jim Meier)
Date: Sat, 15 May 1999 18:41:26 GMT
Subject: while (a=b()) ...
References: <000601be9ea7$ab329ae0$159e2299@tim> <373DB58C.97C54370@home.com> <005b01be9f02$c3892a90$f29b12c2@pythonware.com>
Message-ID: <373DC05B.AD80AAC1@home.com>
Content-Length: 1291
X-UID: 1934                                                 


Fredrik Lundh wrote:

> Jim Meier <fatjim at home.com> wrote:
> > This use of "*" is nicer, but not legible.. "*" is a shell term or a geek
> > term, but not a fluid english term. It's not apparent what it means by
> > looking at it unless.
>
> it's already a Python term.  as far as I can tell,
> it means everything that doesn't start with an
> underscore:
>
>     from foo.baz import *
>

.. And I don't really like it's use there, either, as it's a special symbol
otherwise unused in the language! Of course, if it was made part of the
language, I'd have no legs to stand on here (but i'm sitting on a chair and
feeling boisterous anyways.. :P )


>
> and I'm pretty sure the subset of infinity that
> doesn't start with an underscore is a decent
> approximation...
>

The subset of infinity that does not start with an underscore is exactly 50%.
(every item that does has a corresponding item that doesn't.)
1/2 of infinity is not a very good approximation, I'd say!


>
> > Can we make "for" into "for each"?
>
> why not? (as long as you don't name the result
> Python, I don't mind ;-).  change "and" to "and
> then" and "or" to "or else" at the same time!
>
> </F>

I vote for the Intercal convention of prefixing lines with "please", "do", or
"please do" for legibility.

-Jim





