Path: csiph.com!eternal-september.org!feeder.eternal-september.org!border1.nntp.ams1.giganews.com!nntp.giganews.com!newsfeed.xs4all.nl!newsfeed8.news.xs4all.nl!nzpost1.xs4all.net!not-for-mail Return-Path: X-Original-To: python-list@python.org Delivered-To: python-list@mail.python.org X-Spam-Status: OK 0.003 X-Spam-Evidence: '*H*': 0.99; '*S*': 0.00; 'subject:Python': 0.05; 'assignment': 0.07; 'variant': 0.07; 'contexts': 0.09; 'received:internal': 0.09; 'spelled': 0.09; 'wed,': 0.15; '"="': 0.16; 'comparison.': 0.16; 'expression.': 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:messagingengine.com': 0.16; 'still,': 0.16; 'whoa,': 0.16; 'wrote:': 0.16; 'sep': 0.22; 'header:In-Reply-To:1': 0.24; 'equality': 0.29; "i'm": 0.30; 'normally': 0.30; 'problem': 0.33; "d'aprano": 0.33; 'steven': 0.33; 'languages': 0.34; "isn't": 0.35; 'but': 0.36; 'to:addr :python-list': 0.36; 'subject:: ': 0.37; 'received:10': 0.37; 'received:66': 0.38; 'sure': 0.39; 'to:addr:python.org': 0.40; 'where': 0.40; 'some': 0.40; 'from:no real name:2**0': 0.60; 'header:Message-Id:1': 0.61; 'back': 0.62; 'fundamental': 0.66; 'fairness': 0.84; 'widespread': 0.91 DKIM-Signature: v=1; a=rsa-sha1; c=relaxed/relaxed; d=fastmail.us; h= content-transfer-encoding:content-type:date:from:in-reply-to :message-id:mime-version:references:subject:to:x-sasl-enc :x-sasl-enc; s=mesmtp; bh=FakDcVfUrcffBEUb/ak5ofSV2ug=; b=KydMlB j7jfGsRjwMuz+yXnMaEuXUymgPra5q8NwSwvqnOCVZ4ETbxNGdy7Xsa60lb9cEa+ Vm3Be3hS/13rvU9L4xUNs15jI9ijuf708lraoLohK9gnDpR8pIo2AuzllWprIWXd 2P3dPKq5NfXQrWzuk43YYhiAIq62oogLYmO0A= DKIM-Signature: v=1; a=rsa-sha1; c=relaxed/relaxed; d= messagingengine.com; h=content-transfer-encoding:content-type :date:from:in-reply-to:message-id:mime-version:references :subject:to:x-sasl-enc:x-sasl-enc; s=smtpout; bh=FakDcVfUrcffBEU b/ak5ofSV2ug=; b=irsO8s8aYvRtzE4kU9w8J4KsBjTQqsT+XsZU2cgU+7Pp9ft CY1+eKkTwWEkxlp+jfLuttfVkSmuwtY9MQs2VwNU6VXXkNHcXNemVEJZ5l1iLhZj uFPFxnCqQ5yCPsQ6iQp6pLv8QfMn9FocEvcaQWw6Z852nl9nYlrxMAFfuuIQ= X-Sasl-Enc: tELBWIZDEt9Q6uH0o4aUwbKaGxenBSQt+aAn3PFrA8jY 1441825160 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-c76b43ce Subject: Re: Python handles globals badly. Date: Wed, 09 Sep 2015 14:59:20 -0400 In-Reply-To: <55f072aa$0$1669$c3e8da3$5496439d@news.astraweb.com> References: <86fa425b-d660-45ba-b0f7-3beebdec8e14@googlegroups.com> <55EE9EEC.1060907@rece.vub.ac.be> <55EEDD37.5090602@gmx.com> <55f072aa$0$1669$c3e8da3$5496439d@news.astraweb.com> 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: , Newsgroups: comp.lang.python Message-ID: Lines: 13 NNTP-Posting-Host: 2001:888:2000:d::a6 X-Trace: 1441825163 news.xs4all.nl 23746 [2001:888:2000:d::a6]:35970 X-Complaints-To: abuse@xs4all.nl Xref: csiph.com comp.lang.python:96206 On Wed, Sep 9, 2015, at 13:55, Steven D'Aprano wrote: > In fairness to the C creators, I'm sure that nobody back in the early > seventies imagined that malware and security vulnerabilities would be as > widespread as they have become. But still, the fundamental decisions made > by C are lousy. Assignment is an expression? Whoa, hold on. The problem with C assignment isn't that it's an expression, it's that it's spelled "=" and can be used in contexts where one would normally do an equality comparison. In some languages (Lisp/Scheme/etc come to mind), *everything* is an expression. But assignment is spelled with, generally, some variant of "set" [setq, set!, etc].