Path: csiph.com!x330-a1.tempe.blueboxinc.net!aioe.org!news.snarked.org!newsfeed.news.ucla.edu!usenet.stanford.edu!news.kjsl.com!news-xfer.nntp.sonic.net!news.astraweb.com!border5.newsrouter.astraweb.com!not-for-mail From: Ben Finney Newsgroups: comp.lang.python Subject: Re: What other languages use the same data model as Python? References: <4dbd1dbf$0$29991$c3e8da3$5496439d@news.astraweb.com> <77f64071-b288-404c-8280-b2c61ba77f06@n10g2000yqf.googlegroups.com> <4dc12fb4$0$29991$c3e8da3$5496439d@news.astraweb.com> <87mxj2f8f4.fsf@benfinney.id.au> <4dc2c582$0$29991$c3e8da3$5496439d@news.astraweb.com> <92kjooF31mU1@mid.individual.net> X-Public-Key-ID: 0xAC128405 X-Public-Key-Fingerprint: 517C F14B B2F3 98B0 CB35 4855 B8B2 4C06 AC12 8405 X-Public-Key-URL: http://www.benfinney.id.au/contact/bfinney-pubkey.asc X-Post-From: Ben Finney Date: Sun, 08 May 2011 06:09:19 +1000 Message-ID: <87aaeymfww.fsf@benfinney.id.au> User-Agent: Gnus/5.13 (Gnus v5.13) Emacs/23.3 (gnu/linux) Cancel-Lock: sha1:jy6uqg5hKhnrNrD+LYVaLd/wDbQ= MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit Lines: 38 Organization: Unlimited download news at news.astraweb.com NNTP-Posting-Host: 54e25b0d.news.astraweb.com X-Trace: DXC=2Zm2RRUkoP=B;RYi]PcMG9L?0kYOcDh@:7^o:UA4R?c5aYW9XoKNQF4]G;2>V^?kW3bEW9A[5UK?5NZ[SL`C\Kg3DK=4XQ1WHL3 Xref: x330-a1.tempe.blueboxinc.net comp.lang.python:4916 Gregory Ewing writes: > > On Thu, 05 May 2011 07:43:59 +1000, Ben Finney wrote: > > > >>‘x’ is a name. Names are bound to values. Talk of “variable” only > >>confuses the issue because of the baggage carried with that term. > > But to use 'name' as a complete replacement for 'variable', I don't propose doing that. > In Python I use 'variable' to mean more or less 'something that can be > assigned to', which accords with the way it's used in relation to many > other languages, and doesn't suggest any restriction to things named > by a single identifier. No, I think not. The term “variable” usually comes with a strong expectation that every variable has exactly one name. Your more broad usage would need to be carefully explained to newbies anyway, so I don't see a good reason to use the term “variable” for that either. > Seems to me that anyone taking that connotation from it has not yet > been sufficiently educated about the Python data model itself. Yes, of course. But why not meet such newcomers partway, by not confusing the issue with a term which needs such delicate treatment? > >>Saying “variable” and “has the value” > > But I don't say "has a value", I say "refers to". Good for you. Most don't. -- \ Q: “I've heard that Linux causes cancer...” Torvalds: “That's a | `\ filthy lie. Besides, it was only in rats and has not been | _o__) reproduced in humans.” —Linus Torvalds | Ben Finney