Path: csiph.com!usenet.pasdenom.info!weretis.net!feeder1.news.weretis.net!news1.tnib.de!feed.news.tnib.de!news.tnib.de!newsfeed.freenet.ag!news2.euro.net!newsgate.cistron.nl!newsgate.news.xs4all.nl!194.109.133.86.MISMATCH!newsfeed.xs4all.nl!newsfeed3.news.xs4all.nl!xs4all!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 0.001 X-Spam-Evidence: '*H*': 1.00; '*S*': 0.00; 'python.': 0.02; 'subject:Python': 0.05; 'ugly': 0.07; 'python': 0.09; '(it': 0.09; 'brackets': 0.09; 'compilers.': 0.09; 'dumps': 0.09; 'english,': 0.09; 'python:': 0.09; '(c#,': 0.16; 'contributors': 0.16; 'ignores': 0.16; 'itself;': 0.16; 'long-time': 0.16; 'mark,': 0.16; 'received:74.55.86': 0.16; 'received:74.55.86.74': 0.16; 'received:smtp.webfaction.com': 0.16; 'received:webfaction.com': 0.16; "someone's": 0.16; 'unneeded': 0.16; 'wrote:': 0.17; 'widely': 0.17; '>>>': 0.18; 'required.': 0.22; 'example': 0.23; 'programming': 0.23; 'for?': 0.23; 'statement': 0.23; "i've": 0.23; 'second': 0.24; 'header:In-Reply-To:1': 0.25; 'header:User- Agent:1': 0.26; 'language.': 0.27; 'newer': 0.27; 'surprised': 0.29; "i'm": 0.29; 'code': 0.31; 'could': 0.32; 'impression': 0.33; 'anyone': 0.33; 'to:addr:python-list': 0.33; 'languages': 0.33; 'community': 0.35; 'pm,': 0.35; 'really': 0.36; 'but': 0.36; 'be.': 0.36; 'programmers': 0.36; "i'll": 0.36; 'bad': 0.37; 'two': 0.37; 'moment': 0.37; 'rather': 0.37; 'subject:: ': 0.38; 'to:addr:python.org': 0.39; 'received:192': 0.39; 'short': 0.39; 'where': 0.40; 'received:192.168': 0.40; 'most': 0.61; 'first': 0.61; 'back': 0.62; 'world': 0.63; 'email addr:gmail.com': 0.63; 'more': 0.63; 'here': 0.65; 'day': 0.73; 'widespread': 0.91; 'write:': 0.91 Date: Sun, 24 Feb 2013 15:06:37 -0500 From: Mitya Sirenef User-Agent: Mozilla/5.0 (X11; Linux x86_64; rv:17.0) Gecko/20130106 Thunderbird/17.0.2 MIME-Version: 1.0 To: python-list@python.org Subject: Re: Python Newbie References: <5127848B.1060004@gmail.com> <928d2cf7-728b-4f35-b8c9-4c9b958507e5@googlegroups.com> <61471a01-ee6e-4bc6-bd08-8696a31ec1eb@googlegroups.com> In-Reply-To: <61471a01-ee6e-4bc6-bd08-8696a31ec1eb@googlegroups.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit 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: 45 NNTP-Posting-Host: 2001:888:2000:d::a6 X-Trace: 1361736401 news.xs4all.nl 6848 [2001:888:2000:d::a6]:58743 X-Complaints-To: abuse@xs4all.nl Xref: csiph.com comp.lang.python:39780 On 02/24/2013 02:40 PM, piterrr.dolinski@gmail.com wrote: >>> if (some statement): # short form >>> >>> rather than >>> >>> if (some statement == true): # long form >> >> >> What all those ugly brackets are for? >> > > Mark, > > Back in the day when C was king, or take many newer long established > languages (C#, Java), the use of () has been widespread and mandated > by the compilers. I have never heard anyone moan about the requirement > to use parentheses. Now come Python in which parens are optional, and > all of a sudden they are considered bad and apparently widely > abandoned. Do you really not see that code with parens is much more > pleasing visually? I could understand someone's reluctance to use > parens if they are very new to programming and Pythons is their first > language. But my impression here is that most group contributors are > long-time programmers and have long used () where they are required. > Again, I'm really surprised the community as a whole ignores the > programming "heritage" and dumps the parens in a heartbeat. > > Peter When I write in English, I write: If it rains, I'll get an umbrella. I do not write: If (it rains), I'll get an umbrella. The second example isn't any clearer. The only reason you like unneeded parens is that you're used to them. I've never heard of anyone missing this "feature" after a month or two of using Python. -m -- Lark's Tongue Guide to Python: http://lightbird.net/larks/ The world is a perpetual caricature of itself; at every moment it is the mockery and the contradiction of what it is pretending to be. George Santayana