Path: csiph.com!fu-berlin.de!uni-berlin.de!not-for-mail
From: Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com>
Newsgroups: comp.lang.python
Subject: Re: What is a function parameter =[] for?
Date: Thu, 26 Nov 2015 09:06:26 +1100
Lines: 30
Message-ID: <mailman.98.1448489194.20593.python-list@python.org>
References: <d9045bdd-a5d4-4c5c-9fd3-3d54f6b50862@googlegroups.com> <56547C53.8030407@rece.vub.ac.be> <CAPTjJmqAMwnxBZ97umsNg255v47dsQD6qEr0ysECtGiZ409k0Q@mail.gmail.com> <5654864E.2070906@rece.vub.ac.be> <CAPTjJmoUtwHzOEwcObh5hzUDbz-713kVE_Kq-rg_bmYFHE_tYw@mail.gmail.com> <56549324.8020607@rece.vub.ac.be> <CALwzidmAKgmxjR=nDU4bPn5iy9AqCCiT=nTQYSORADCtpdM+SA@mail.gmail.com> <56549F15.40206@rece.vub.ac.be> <CALwzidkuiSfyXxiQ8H6YSEtEL5cqj6sOUPXdUru6n8XtGnvzug@mail.gmail.com> <5654B037.6020107@rece.vub.ac.be> <CALwzidkRj7G-W3UdtdczM10kHmHZ_qrdOoPNcJNjiw2QcNr0YQ@mail.gmail.com> <mailman.33.1448398558.20593.python-list@python.org> <n32jqq$k4j$1@dont-email.me> <mailman.35.1448400323.20593.python-list@python.org> <56550273$0$1585$c3e8da3$5496439d@news.astraweb.com> <mailman.64.1448445391.20593.python-list@python.org> <5655f27b$0$1614$c3e8da3$5496439d@news.astraweb.com> <5655FDAC.4070305@rece.vub.ac.be> <CALwzidkkuQDfGCZUmEDuvLEwLwy27BsDvPaow_LVN_tFYt-1qg@mail.gmail.com> <5656229A.2000309@rece.vub.ac.be>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8
X-Trace: news.uni-berlin.de HAXS86sCxnIyfI9siHaz8QwV+JpgJIlCvPMWfgkU+FVw==
Return-Path: <rosuav@gmail.com>
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:209.85.223': 0.03; 'retrieved': 0.05; 'sufficient': 0.05; 'expressions': 0.07; 'cc:addr:python-list': 0.09; 'compute': 0.09; 'tuple': 0.09; 'python': 0.10; 'wed,': 0.15; 'thu,': 0.15; '(3,': 0.16; 'constructs': 0.16; 'from:addr:rosuav': 0.16; 'from:name:chris angelico': 0.16; 'inclined': 0.16; 'literal.': 0.16; 'literals': 0.16; 'literals,': 0.16; 'literals.': 0.16; 'notations': 0.16; 'received:io': 0.16; 'received:psf.io': 0.16; 'wrote:': 0.16; 'language': 0.19; '>>>': 0.20; '2015': 0.20; 'cc:2**0': 0.20; 'cc:addr:python.org': 0.20; 'constant': 0.22; 'am,': 0.23; 'needed.': 0.23; 'header:In-Reply-To:1': 0.24; 'supported': 0.27; 'message-id:@mail.gmail.com': 0.27; 'values': 0.28; 'about.': 0.29; 'sentence': 0.29; 'types.': 0.29; 'point': 0.33; 'received:google.com': 0.35; 'nov': 0.35; 'something': 0.35; 'but': 0.36; 'received:209.85': 0.36; 'subject:?': 0.36; 'subject:: ': 0.37; 'say': 0.37; 'things': 0.38; 'received:209': 0.38; 'mean': 0.38; 'some': 0.40; 'flat': 0.63; 'believe': 0.66; 'talking': 0.67; '26,': 0.72; 'intelligent': 0.76; 'chrisa': 0.84; 'pardon': 0.84; 'schreef': 0.84; 'to:none': 0.91
DKIM-Signature: v=1; a=rsa-sha256; c=relaxed/relaxed; d=gmail.com; s=20120113; h=mime-version:in-reply-to:references:date:message-id:subject:from:cc :content-type; bh=ZCBdJlimaFT4dG0G0YUr1MIccDL+Rhwdl6grPq6B7fw=; b=B/gJH9X4MI4c2CB7SPKrOlUXLmJWLuuTN9k5SmdS+1Fy+svsAeIDEE1K9HJN6I2uOs dezPM0rmaOFkjfvoVyXzGPPNjy4M0V97uo0TDwuwXQlCMSCt2OBRsdWg22dXdO2zj6MT gMzb6VefWD+TSskYfBFX4M8mQTJzrcEQd3msFnJ4aj/ba5AHd0jR0WmKN7JyIp0u6Dgo A1RmR2t47FzZgab9FXKFaiZr2R6R4Fj6iWMzAh4groDgG7szJ1ZKqJWskYF/BZUGVUl6 xESsBnwnKRUv8fRD8NZwBMhvdpUu4siHrJ2wq41m4+exTc0mzuomvN6JfCdWl1EWAzW3 7zlg==
X-Received: by 10.107.16.84 with SMTP id y81mr35097592ioi.19.1448489186365; Wed, 25 Nov 2015 14:06:26 -0800 (PST)
In-Reply-To: <5656229A.2000309@rece.vub.ac.be>
X-BeenThere: python-list@python.org
X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.20+
Precedence: list
List-Id: General discussion list for the Python programming language <python-list.python.org>
List-Unsubscribe: <https://mail.python.org/mailman/options/python-list>, <mailto:python-list-request@python.org?subject=unsubscribe>
List-Archive: <http://mail.python.org/pipermail/python-list/>
List-Post: <mailto:python-list@python.org>
List-Help: <mailto:python-list-request@python.org?subject=help>
List-Subscribe: <https://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/python-list>, <mailto:python-list-request@python.org?subject=subscribe>
Xref: csiph.com comp.lang.python:99495

On Thu, Nov 26, 2015 at 8:05 AM, Antoon Pardon
<antoon.pardon@rece.vub.ac.be> wrote:
> Op 25-11-15 om 21:39 schreef Ian Kelly:
>> On Wed, Nov 25, 2015 at 11:27 AM, Antoon Pardon
>> <antoon.pardon@rece.vub.ac.be> wrote:
>>> I don't know what you are talking about. The first thing I have argued
>>> is that () is a literal. Then I have expaned that to that something
>>> like (3, 5, 8) is a literal. I never argued that tuple expressions
>>> in general are literals. And one way I supported my point was with the
>>> following quote from the python language reference.
>>>
>>>   Literals are notations for constant values of some built-in types.
>>>
>>> And I think that the things I argued were literals, were in fact
>>> constant values of some built-in type.
>>
>> I believe that sentence from the docs is using "some" to mean "not
>> all", whereas you are apparently using it to mean "any".
>>
>> frozenset([1,2,3]) constructs a constant value of a built-in type.
>> Would you consider that a literal?
>
> I am inclined to say yes, because a sufficient intelligent compilor
> can compute the value and store it do be retrieved and bound to a
> target when needed.

Then you're using the word "literal" in a way that is flat wrong. It
may be a constant, but it is not a literal.

ChrisA