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Date: Wed, 02 Jan 2013 21:56:44 -0500
From: Dave Angel <d@davea.name>
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To: python-list@python.org
Subject: Re: pylint, was Re: pygame - importing GL - very bad...
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On 01/02/2013 09:31 PM, someone wrote:
> On 01/02/2013 08:31 PM, Ian Kelly wrote:
>> On Wed, Jan 2, 2013 at 10:57 AM, Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com>
>> wrote:
>>> Yeah, same applies to most linters I think. You end up disagreeing
>>> with the author on half the points. Oh well. Doesn't make the tool
>>> useless, just means you need to fiddle with it to get it how you want
>>> it.
>>
>> It's a lot less work to disable a check than to implement a desired
>> check that is missing, so to me it's better that a linter do too much
>> by default than not enough.
>
> I just started using pylint and some of the stuff it came up with is
> REALLY good - so I'll definately use pylint, pep8 (and friends) more
> in the future. And I think I'll also get to a point where I'll disable
> some of the checks - as one of you wrote: How I name my variables is
> (maybe) my own business and for instance I like a short variable name
> once in a while, e.g. "rx", "ry", "rz" for rotation around x- y- and
> z-axises and these variable names should not be changed.
>
> But can I ask you something: English is not my native language and I
> looked up what "linter" means - but it's not in my dictionary. What
> doet "linter" mean ?
>
> I don't suppose these exlanations are the same as you would give, in
> the context you're using?
>
> http://www.wordreference.com/definition/linter
> http://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/american/linter
> http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/linter
>
> ?
>

The first lint program I recall hearing of was available in the early
1980's, and was for the C language.  At the time, the C language was
extremely flexible (in other words, lots of ways to shoot yourself in
the foot) and the compiler was mostly of the philosophy - if there's a
way to make sense of the statement, generate some code, somehow.

Anyway, lint made sense to me as the crud that gets mixed in with the
real fabric.  And a linter is a machine that identifies and removes that
crud.  Well, the lint program didn't remove anything, but it identified
a lot of it.  I didn't hear the term linter till decades later.




-- 

DaveA