Path: csiph.com!usenet.pasdenom.info!aioe.org!news.stack.nl!newsfeed.xs4all.nl!newsfeed4a.news.xs4all.nl!xs4all!newsgate.cistron.nl!newsgate.news.xs4all.nl!post.news.xs4all.nl!not-for-mail Return-Path: X-Original-To: python-list@python.org Delivered-To: python-list@mail.python.org X-Spam-Status: OK 0.008 X-Spam-Evidence: '*H*': 0.98; '*S*': 0.00; 'parameters': 0.04; 'subject:Python': 0.06; 'received:internal': 0.09; 'jan': 0.12; 'itself.': 0.14; 'accepts': 0.16; 'message- id:@webmail.messagingengine.com': 0.16; 'received:10.202': 0.16; 'received:10.202.2': 0.16; 'received:66.111': 0.16; 'received:66.111.4': 0.16; 'received:66.111.4.27': 0.16; 'received:messagingengine.com': 0.16; 'received:out3-smtp.messagingengine.com': 0.16; 'wrote:': 0.18; 'later': 0.20; 'header:In-Reply-To:1': 0.27; 'function': 0.29; '(this': 0.29; "d'aprano": 0.31; 'steven': 0.31; 'could': 0.34; 'received:66': 0.35; 'except': 0.35; 'but': 0.35; 'received:10': 0.37; 'to:addr:python-list': 0.38; 'to:addr:python.org': 0.39; 'even': 0.60; 'from:no real name:2**0': 0.61; 'header:Message- Id:1': 0.63; 'information': 0.63; 'different': 0.65; 'subject:! ': 0.74; 'returns.': 0.84 DKIM-Signature: v=1; a=rsa-sha1; c=relaxed/relaxed; d=fastmail.us; h= message-id:x-sasl-enc:from:to:mime-version :content-transfer-encoding:content-type:subject:date:in-reply-to :references; s=mesmtp; bh=VJDUkz/Lo8pMmE/5bCgcIzba19M=; b=ixvzmo XZ91CKs6Ooo6iz5+iyNn3MfNg6sApCUFnLEGJv/zHSAkFJMJPC9LD7u6qRyCjtwM jtRtLAu1jsnZwIPhjznJ+nSqcMN76cyB1+6MlN9kZHyfDSQVxZv6GekhiOfSp7ke PQs9Cb1oNuUpH9GdXt46mmlvjKlXMJ6srNJTg= DKIM-Signature: v=1; a=rsa-sha1; c=relaxed/relaxed; d= messagingengine.com; h=message-id:x-sasl-enc:from:to :mime-version:content-transfer-encoding:content-type:subject :date:in-reply-to:references; s=smtpout; bh=VJDUkz/Lo8pMmE/5bCgc Izba19M=; b=Q+D0Gv+rxoX6ri6VJI60OkXh4hEsMToAxoIw3H1d3PQL2JQsYb8w NA+RgGsXzEK+w05hHt34em9rZmZm7e2Ssdnw+yLJtN42FQjAcKnzC0TAha8ZBUH0 WvW6r4zCsTBvZ8VgCW90L/cYZhXd8QOdpS4oeTg098t8RzMl5cnXeJM= X-Sasl-Enc: s5JX7T4LaMTJ1ynu1pEmYY/Q6ol8+XNWvXdN91Lsiqjq 1422379567 From: random832@fastmail.us To: python-list@python.org MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Type: text/plain X-Mailer: MessagingEngine.com Webmail Interface - ajax-46f3f2c7 Subject: Re: Python is DOOMED! Again! Date: Tue, 27 Jan 2015 12:26:07 -0500 In-Reply-To: <54c731fc$0$2910$c3e8da3$76491128@news.astraweb.com> References: <54c07d04$0$13012$c3e8da3$5496439d@news.astraweb.com> <1939680766443642112.878725sturla.molden-gmail.com@news.gmane.org> <6eb91c4b-92ff-44a8-b5a9-6ef04c71f4cb@googlegroups.com> <35a40ec6-3763-448b-9ea4-4a233a04979b@googlegroups.com> <54c1ccc8$0$13005$c3e8da3$5496439d@news.astraweb.com> <54c6d7c2$0$12992$c3e8da3$5496439d@news.astraweb.com> <54c731fc$0$2910$c3e8da3$76491128@news.astraweb.com> X-BeenThere: python-list@python.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.15 Precedence: list List-Id: General discussion list for the Python programming language List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , Newsgroups: comp.lang.python Message-ID: Lines: 9 NNTP-Posting-Host: 2001:888:2000:d::a6 X-Trace: 1422379571 news.xs4all.nl 2949 [2001:888:2000:d::a6]:40027 X-Complaints-To: abuse@xs4all.nl Xref: csiph.com comp.lang.python:84653 On Tue, Jan 27, 2015, at 01:36, Steven D'Aprano wrote: > I consider return type to be part of the function signature. The > signature > of a function is the parameters it accepts and the result it returns. It's part of it, but not the whole of it, and early C compilers had no information about the parameters except from the call site itself. You could even call the same function multiple different ways (this was later formalized with variadic functions).