Groups | Search | Server Info | Keyboard shortcuts | Login | Register [http] [https] [nntp] [nntps]

Groups > comp.lang.python > #19196

Re: while True or while 1

Show key headers only | View raw

On Sun, Jan 22, 2012 at 8:13 AM, Erik Max Francis <max@alcyone.com> wrote:
> Why this should concern anyone, I don't know; someone who's rebound `True`
> or `False` to evaluate to something other than true and false, respectively,
> is only doing so to be difficult (or very foolish).  One of the principles
> of Python programming is that We're All Adults Here, so this kind of
> defensive programming is really superfluous.  In other words, yes, it's
> quite reasonable to assume that (even in Python 2) `True` is bound to
> something which is, in fact, true.

Yes, but there's no special code in the compiler to handle True - it's
just a name like any other. It finds a token that looks like a name,
so it puts a name lookup into the bytecode.

> The real reason people still use the `while 1` construct, I would imagine,
> is just inertia or habit, rather than a conscious, defensive decision.  If
> it's the latter, it's a case of being _way_ too defensive.

Ehh, 'while 1' is shorter too. I reckon some people are just lazy :)
Or have come from C where 'while (1)' is the normal thing to do.
According to the Eliza Effect, supporting 'while 1' is a Good Thing.

ChrisA

Back to comp.lang.python | Previous | Next — Previous in thread | Next in thread | Find similar | Unroll thread

Thread

Re: while True or while 1 Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com> - 2012-01-22 01:59 +1100
  Re: while True or while 1 Erik Max Francis <max@alcyone.com> - 2012-01-21 13:13 -0800
    Re: while True or while 1 Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com> - 2012-01-22 09:13 +1100
      Re: while True or while 1 Steven D'Aprano <steve+comp.lang.python@pearwood.info> - 2012-01-22 05:25 +0000
        Re: while True or while 1 Dan Sommers <dan@tombstonezero.net> - 2012-01-22 16:05 +0000
          Re: while True or while 1 alex23 <wuwei23@gmail.com> - 2012-01-22 19:55 -0800
            Re: while True or while 1 Dave Angel <d@davea.name> - 2012-01-23 08:02 -0500
              Re: while True or while 1 Hrvoje Niksic <hniksic@xemacs.org> - 2012-01-23 14:28 +0100
                Re: while True or while 1 Dave Angel <d@davea.name> - 2012-01-23 13:33 -0500
        Re: while True or while 1 MRAB <python@mrabarnett.plus.com> - 2012-01-22 16:13 +0000
    Re: while True or while 1 Grant Edwards <invalid@invalid.invalid> - 2012-01-23 15:51 +0000
    Re: while True or while 1 Giampaolo Rodolà <g.rodola@gmail.com> - 2012-01-23 17:41 +0100
      Re: while True or while 1 Erik Max Francis <max@alcyone.com> - 2012-01-23 11:12 -0800
        Re: while True or while 1 Giampaolo Rodolà <g.rodola@gmail.com> - 2012-01-23 21:20 +0100
    Re: while True or while 1 Ian Kelly <ian.g.kelly@gmail.com> - 2012-01-23 10:39 -0700
    Re: while True or while 1 Evan Driscoll <edriscoll@wisc.edu> - 2012-01-23 12:05 -0600
    Re: while True or while 1 Andrea Crotti <andrea.crotti.0@gmail.com> - 2012-01-23 20:50 +0000
      Re: while True or while 1 88888 Dihedral <dihedral88888@googlemail.com> - 2012-01-23 14:42 -0800
      Re: while True or while 1 88888 Dihedral <dihedral88888@googlemail.com> - 2012-01-23 14:42 -0800
      Re: while True or while 1 Steven D'Aprano <steve+comp.lang.python@pearwood.info> - 2012-01-24 03:37 +0000

csiph-web