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Groups > comp.lang.python > #38287

Re: Opinion on best practice...

From Grant Edwards <invalid@invalid.invalid>
Newsgroups comp.lang.python
Subject Re: Opinion on best practice...
Date 2013-02-06 15:18 +0000
Organization PANIX Public Access Internet and UNIX, NYC
Message-ID <kets7h$4j9$3@reader1.panix.com> (permalink)
References (3 earlier) <andcgpFbac1U1@mid.individual.net> <mailman.1393.1360102601.2939.python-list@python.org> <kes2u6$q6n$2@reader1.panix.com> <mailman.1396.1360107343.2939.python-list@python.org> <5111b826$0$29969$c3e8da3$5496439d@news.astraweb.com>

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On 2013-02-06, Steven D'Aprano <steve+comp.lang.python@pearwood.info> wrote:
> Chris Angelico wrote:
>
>> Python is not an "excellent option". It's a bad fit for shell
>> scripting, it just happens to be way better than a weak shell. Having
>> grown up on command.com, I found OS/2's cmd.exe to be a massive
>> improvement, and Windows's cmd.exe to be rather less impressive... but
>> both of them pale into insignificance compared to bash.
>
> I have to disagree with much of this. bash is a poorly designed
> language which, in my opinion, is only good enough for short (under
> 20 lines) throw-away scripts.

And the OP wanted to write someting that was what, about 3 lines?

> This is how you test whether something is not the name of a directory:
>
> [[ -d $dir ]] || {
>   echo "$FUNCNAME: $dir is not a directory" >&2
>   return 2
> }

It can be written more clearly.

> http://www.bashcookbook.com/bashinfo/source/bash-4.2/examples/functions/emptydir
>
> Arithmetic requires either calling an external program, or special magic
> syntax:
>
> z=`expr $z + 3`
> i=$(( i + 1 ))

Agreed: Bash is not good at math.  It should not be used for numerical
analysis.

> Spaces are magic -- these two lines do radically different things:

So?  Leading spaces are magic in Python.

> bash is even more weakly typed than Perl. As far as I can tell, bash
> is completely untyped -- everything is text, all the time, even
> arrays.

Correct.  In bash, everything is a string.

If you're doing something other than manipulating files (and therefore
filenames and paths), then bash is probably the wrong language to use.

-- 
Grant Edwards               grant.b.edwards        Yow! Are we wet yet?
                                  at               
                              gmail.com            

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Thread

Opinion on best practice... Anthony Correia <akcorreia@gmail.com> - 2013-02-04 20:14 -0800
  Re: Opinion on best practice... Michael Torrie <torriem@gmail.com> - 2013-02-04 23:04 -0700
  Re: Opinion on best practice... Terry Reedy <tjreedy@udel.edu> - 2013-02-05 02:56 -0500
    Re: Opinion on best practice... Grant Edwards <invalid@invalid.invalid> - 2013-02-05 13:23 +0000
  Re: Opinion on best practice... Ulrich Eckhardt <ulrich.eckhardt@dominolaser.com> - 2013-02-05 08:56 +0100
    Re: Opinion on best practice... Peter Otten <__peter__@web.de> - 2013-02-05 11:35 +0100
      Re: Opinion on best practice... Ulrich Eckhardt <ulrich.eckhardt@dominolaser.com> - 2013-02-05 14:05 +0100
  Re: Opinion on best practice... Grant Edwards <invalid@invalid.invalid> - 2013-02-05 13:22 +0000
    Re: Opinion on best practice... Walter Hurry <walterhurry@lavabit.com> - 2013-02-05 21:01 +0000
      Re: Opinion on best practice... Neil Cerutti <neilc@norwich.edu> - 2013-02-05 21:39 +0000
        Re: Opinion on best practice... Ethan Furman <ethan@stoneleaf.us> - 2013-02-05 14:07 -0800
          Re: Opinion on best practice... Grant Edwards <invalid@invalid.invalid> - 2013-02-05 23:00 +0000
            Re: Opinion on best practice... Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com> - 2013-02-06 10:35 +1100
              Re: Opinion on best practice... Steven D'Aprano <steve+comp.lang.python@pearwood.info> - 2013-02-06 12:55 +1100
                Re: Opinion on best practice... Dan Stromberg <drsalists@gmail.com> - 2013-02-05 18:14 -0800
                Re: Opinion on best practice... Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com> - 2013-02-06 17:16 +1100
                Re: Opinion on best practice... rusi <rustompmody@gmail.com> - 2013-02-05 23:32 -0800
                Re: Opinion on best practice... Grant Edwards <invalid@invalid.invalid> - 2013-02-06 15:18 +0000
                Re: Opinion on best practice... Dennis Lee Bieber <wlfraed@ix.netcom.com> - 2013-02-06 12:37 -0500
                Re: Opinion on best practice... Steven D'Aprano <steve+comp.lang.python@pearwood.info> - 2013-02-07 10:46 +1100
                Re: Opinion on best practice... Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com> - 2013-02-07 16:28 +1100
                Re: Opinion on best practice... Steven D'Aprano <steve+comp.lang.python@pearwood.info> - 2013-02-07 06:50 +0000
                Re: Opinion on best practice... Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com> - 2013-02-07 18:49 +1100
                Re: Opinion on best practice... Steven D'Aprano <steve+comp.lang.python@pearwood.info> - 2013-02-08 09:49 +1100
                Re: Opinion on best practice... Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com> - 2013-02-08 17:54 +1100
                Re: Opinion on best practice... Dennis Lee Bieber <wlfraed@ix.netcom.com> - 2013-02-08 12:41 -0500
                Re: Opinion on best practice... Dennis Lee Bieber <wlfraed@ix.netcom.com> - 2013-02-07 13:54 -0500
                Re: Opinion on best practice... Steven D'Aprano <steve+comp.lang.python@pearwood.info> - 2013-02-08 09:58 +1100
                Re: Opinion on best practice... Dennis Lee Bieber <wlfraed@ix.netcom.com> - 2013-02-08 13:29 -0500
                Re: Opinion on best practice... Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com> - 2013-02-09 11:28 +1100
                Re: Opinion on best practice... John Ladasky <john_ladasky@sbcglobal.net> - 2013-02-08 19:10 -0800
            Re: Opinion on best practice... Dennis Lee Bieber <wlfraed@ix.netcom.com> - 2013-02-06 00:33 -0500
              Re: Opinion on best practice... Anssi Saari <as@sci.fi> - 2013-02-06 15:30 +0200
        Re: Opinion on best practice... Grant Edwards <invalid@invalid.invalid> - 2013-02-05 22:59 +0000
          Re: Opinion on best practice... Ian Kelly <ian.g.kelly@gmail.com> - 2013-02-05 17:05 -0700
            Re: Opinion on best practice... Grant Edwards <invalid@invalid.invalid> - 2013-02-06 15:04 +0000
          Re: Opinion on best practice... Neil Cerutti <neilc@norwich.edu> - 2013-02-06 14:20 +0000
            Re: Opinion on best practice... Grant Edwards <invalid@invalid.invalid> - 2013-02-06 15:11 +0000
      Re: Opinion on best practice... Nobody <nobody@nowhere.com> - 2013-02-06 03:32 +0000
        Re: Opinion on best practice... Michael Torrie <torriem@gmail.com> - 2013-02-05 22:07 -0700

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