Path: csiph.com!news.swapon.de!fu-berlin.de!uni-berlin.de!not-for-mail From: Random832 Newsgroups: comp.lang.python Subject: Re: What is a function parameter =[] for? Date: Tue, 24 Nov 2015 19:00:40 +0000 (UTC) Lines: 10 Message-ID: References: <564dbe6b$0$1610$c3e8da3$5496439d@news.astraweb.com> <564df258$0$1604$c3e8da3$5496439d@news.astraweb.com> <8601c9af-a7d9-4642-ba1c-8edd1e4c3390@googlegroups.com> <56546985.8060704@rece.vub.ac.be> <56547337.4000709@rece.vub.ac.be> X-Trace: news.uni-berlin.de 8xynprTPwoSSPkkUhbm0SQqce3tS082xmSilAxwEhYWA== 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; 'received:80.91': 0.09; 'received:80.91.229': 0.09; 'received:gmane.org': 0.09; 'received:list': 0.09; 'spec': 0.09; 'term,': 0.09; 'python': 0.10; 'itself.': 0.11; 'definition.': 0.16; 'literal.': 0.16; 'received:80.91.229.3': 0.16; 'received:io': 0.16; 'received:plane.gmane.org': 0.16; 'received:psf.io': 0.16; 'term.': 0.16; 'wrote:': 0.16; 'programming': 0.22; 'header:User- Agent:1': 0.26; "doesn't": 0.26; 'header:X-Complaints-To:1': 0.26; 'chris': 0.26; 'agreed': 0.31; 'probably': 0.31; 'generally': 0.32; 'received:comcast.net': 0.33; 'definition': 0.34; 'on,': 0.35; 'something': 0.35; 'to:addr:python-list': 0.36; 'subject:?': 0.36; 'subject:: ': 0.37; 'received:org': 0.37; 'rather': 0.39; 'to:addr:python.org': 0.40 X-Injected-Via-Gmane: http://gmane.org/ X-Gmane-NNTP-Posting-Host: c-68-39-146-59.hsd1.in.comcast.net User-Agent: slrn/pre1.0.3-7 (Linux) X-BeenThere: python-list@python.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.20+ Precedence: list List-Id: General discussion list for the Python programming language List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , Xref: csiph.com comp.lang.python:99387 On 2015-11-24, Chris Angelico wrote: > Probably the grammar. In other words, it's part of the language's very > definition. Then the definition is wrong. I think "literal" is a word whose meaning is generally agreed on, rather than something each language's spec can invent from whole cloth for itself. It's not a python term, it's a programming term. And the documentation doesn't even use it consistently; it calls {} a literal.