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To: python-list@python.org
From: Mark Lawrence <breamoreboy@yahoo.co.uk>
Subject: Re: OT: This Swift thing
Date: Thu, 05 Jun 2014 23:13:00 +0100
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On 05/06/2014 22:53, Marko Rauhamaa wrote:
> Mark Lawrence <breamoreboy@yahoo.co.uk>:
>
>> On 05/06/2014 21:07, Alain Ketterlin wrote:
>>> Sturla Molden <sturla.molden@gmail.com> writes:
>>>> On 05/06/14 10:14, Alain Ketterlin wrote:
>>>>> Type safety.
>>>> Perhaps. Python has strong type safety.
>>> Come on.
>>
>> I don't understand that comment, please explain.
>
> I guess what is referred to is static typing. It serves two purposes:
>
>   1. It makes the managers of software development teams believe the
>      junior developers in their teams won't be able to do too much damage
>      as the compiler at least enforces some rigor in the code. Hence,
>      "safety."
>
>   2. It makes it much easier to automatically optimize the code.
>
> Unfortunately, it also has serious downsides:
>
>   3. The code becomes very tedious to type in. You may need hundreds of
>      lines of boilerplate code before it actually does anything. It also
>      easily makes you lose your focus.
>
>   4. The flow of the code becomes hard to understand because of the
>      boilerplate. Ironically, the very straitjacket that seeks to force
>      good quality on you prevents you from seeing the forest for the
>      trees.
>
> Example:
>
>
>      Map<StreetAddress, ZipCode> makeStreetAddressMap(
>          List<StreetInfo> infoList) {
>          Map<StreetAddress, ZipCode> map =
>              new HashMap<StreetAddress, ZipCode>();
>          for (StreetInfo info : infoList)
>               map.put(info.getStreetAddress(), info.getZipCode());
>          return map;
>      }
>
> vs
>
>     def make_street_address_map(info_list):
>         map = {}
>         for info in info_list:
>              map[info.get_street_address()] = info.get_zip_code()
>         return map
>
> or:
>
>     def make_street_address_map(info_list):
>         return dict((info.get_street_address(), info.get_zip_code())
>                     for info in info_list)
>
>
> Marko
>

Interesting.  We've gone from "Python has strong type safety" to "come 
on" to "I guess what is referred to is static typing".  I'll simply say 
that I understand Python to be strongly, dynamically typed.

-- 
My fellow Pythonistas, ask not what our language can do for you, ask 
what you can do for our language.

Mark Lawrence

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