Groups | Search | Server Info | Keyboard shortcuts | Login | Register [http] [https] [nntp] [nntps]

Groups > comp.lang.python > #85627

Re: Python discussed in Nature

Show all headers | View raw

On Thursday, February 12, 2015 at 11:59:55 PM UTC+5:30, John Ladasky wrote:
> On Thursday, February 12, 2015 at 3:08:10 AM UTC-8, Fabien wrote:
> 
> > ... what a coincidence then that a huge majority of scientists 
> > (including me) dont care AT ALL about unicode. But since scientists are 
> > not paid to rewrite old code, the scientific world is still stuck to 
> > python 2.
> 
> I'm a scientist.  I'm a happy Python 3 user who migrated from Python 2 about two years ago.
> 
> And I use Unicode in my Python.  In implementing some mathematical models which have variables like delta, gamma, and theta, I decided that I didn't like the line lengths I was getting with such variable names.  I'm using δ, γ, and θ instead.  It works fine, at least on my Ubuntu Linux system (and what scientist doesn't use Linux?).  I also have special mathematical symbols, superscripted numbers, etc. in my program comments.  It's easier to read 2x³ + 3x² than 2*x**3 + 3*x**2.
> 
> I am teaching someone Python who is having a few problems with Unicode on his Windows 7 machine.  It would appear that Windows shipped with a less-than-complete Unicode font for its command shell.  But that's not Python's fault.

Haskell is a bit ahead of python in this respect:

Prelude> let (x₁ , x₂) = (1,2)
Prelude> (x₁ , x₂)
(1,2)

>>> (x₁ , x₂) = (1,2)
  File "<stdin>", line 1
    (x₁ , x₂) = (1,2)
      ^
SyntaxError: invalid character in identifier

But python is ahead in another (arguably more) important aspect:
Haskell gets confused by ligatures in identifiers; python gets them right

>>> flag = 1 
>>> flag
1

Prelude> let flag = 1 
Prelude> flag

<interactive>:4:1: Not in scope: `flag'

Hopefully python will widen its identifier-chars also

Back to comp.lang.python | Previous | Next — Previous in thread | Next in thread | Find similar | Unroll thread

Thread

Python discussed in Nature Steven D'Aprano <steve+comp.lang.python@pearwood.info> - 2015-02-12 19:46 +1100
  Re: Python discussed in Nature Mark Lawrence <breamoreboy@yahoo.co.uk> - 2015-02-12 09:19 +0000
  Re: Python discussed in Nature wxjmfauth@gmail.com - 2015-02-12 01:31 -0800
    Re: Python discussed in Nature Fabien <fabien.maussion@gmail.com> - 2015-02-12 12:07 +0100
      Re: Python discussed in Nature Marko Rauhamaa <marko@pacujo.net> - 2015-02-12 13:25 +0200
        Re: Python discussed in Nature Fabien <fabien.maussion@gmail.com> - 2015-02-12 12:33 +0100
          Re: Python discussed in Nature Marko Rauhamaa <marko@pacujo.net> - 2015-02-12 16:39 +0200
            Re: Python discussed in Nature Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com> - 2015-02-13 02:59 +1100
              Re: Python discussed in Nature Marko Rauhamaa <marko@pacujo.net> - 2015-02-12 18:56 +0200
                Re: Python discussed in Nature Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com> - 2015-02-13 04:08 +1100
                Re: Python discussed in Nature Steven D'Aprano <steve+comp.lang.python@pearwood.info> - 2015-02-13 14:07 +1100
            Re: Python discussed in Nature Sturla Molden <sturla.molden@gmail.com> - 2015-02-13 23:58 +0100
              Re: Python discussed in Nature wxjmfauth@gmail.com - 2015-02-14 00:39 -0800
      Re: Python discussed in Nature John Ladasky <john_ladasky@sbcglobal.net> - 2015-02-12 10:29 -0800
        Re: Python discussed in Nature Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com> - 2015-02-13 05:37 +1100
          Re: Python discussed in Nature wxjmfauth@gmail.com - 2015-02-13 02:03 -0800
        Re: Python discussed in Nature Steven D'Aprano <steve+comp.lang.python@pearwood.info> - 2015-02-13 14:11 +1100
          Re: Python discussed in Nature wxjmfauth@gmail.com - 2015-02-12 23:05 -0800
          Re: Python discussed in Nature John Ladasky <john_ladasky@sbcglobal.net> - 2015-02-13 11:40 -0800
            Re: Python discussed in Nature Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com> - 2015-02-14 09:45 +1100
              Re: Python discussed in Nature giacomo boffi <pecore@pascolo.net> - 2015-02-15 22:09 +0100
                Re: Python discussed in Nature Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com> - 2015-02-16 09:16 +1100
        Re: Python discussed in Nature Rustom Mody <rustompmody@gmail.com> - 2015-02-12 20:07 -0800
          Re: Python discussed in Nature Terry Reedy <tjreedy@udel.edu> - 2015-02-13 00:24 -0500
          Re: Python discussed in Nature wxjmfauth@gmail.com - 2015-02-12 23:02 -0800
            Re: Python discussed in Nature wxjmfauth@gmail.com - 2015-02-13 01:36 -0800
  Re: Python discussed in Nature Ethan Furman <ethan@stoneleaf.us> - 2015-02-12 10:48 -0800

csiph-web