Path: csiph.com!usenet.pasdenom.info!weretis.net!feeder4.news.weretis.net!feeds.phibee-telecom.net!newsfeed.xs4all.nl!newsfeed4a.news.xs4all.nl!xs4all!newsgate.cistron.nl!newsgate.news.xs4all.nl!post.news.xs4all.nl!not-for-mail
Return-Path: <ian.g.kelly@gmail.com>
X-Original-To: python-list@python.org
Delivered-To: python-list@mail.python.org
X-Spam-Status: UNSURE 0.266
X-Spam-Level: **
X-Spam-Evidence: '*H*': 0.49; '*S*': 0.03; 'causing': 0.04; 'responding': 0.07; 'worse': 0.09; 'posted': 0.15; 'incorrect': 0.16; 'relevance': 0.16; 'wrote:': 0.18; 'code.': 0.18; '>>>': 0.22; 'header:In-Reply-To:1': 0.27; 'correct': 0.29; 'chris': 0.29; 'am,': 0.29; 'message-id:@mail.gmail.com': 0.30; 'code': 0.31; 'crash': 0.31; "d'aprano": 0.31; 'steven': 0.31; 'handled': 0.32; 'running': 0.33; 'fri,': 0.33; 'programmers': 0.33; 'could': 0.34; 'but': 0.35; 'received:google.com': 0.35; 'version': 0.36; '14,': 0.36; 'doing': 0.36; 'possible': 0.36; 'changing': 0.37; 'wrong': 0.37; 'so,': 0.37; 'nov': 0.38; 'to:addr:python-list': 0.38; 'anything': 0.39; 'does': 0.39; 'realize': 0.39; 'to:addr:python.org': 0.39; "you're": 0.61; 'soon': 0.63; 'more': 0.64; 'different': 0.65; 'believe': 0.68; 'smith': 0.68; 'potentially': 0.81; 'assertion.': 0.84; 'ethan': 0.84; 'furman': 0.84; 'horrible': 0.84; 'improvement,': 0.84; 'optimized.': 0.84; 'preventing': 0.84; 'defeat': 0.91; 'novice': 0.91; 'thing,': 0.91
DKIM-Signature: v=1; a=rsa-sha256; c=relaxed/relaxed; d=gmail.com; s=20120113; h=mime-version:in-reply-to:references:from:date:message-id:subject:to :content-type:content-transfer-encoding; bh=VMu0dtJPMWVKhsQ/ifgviuh/l4xXu1PpLBRGHsZd2rM=; b=eOVeu3djSzDA9FQbph+UKLiSaEb68L5C5u5gRetg3RgR5rzv3DsGqCCavFMdZj4/ej 8duDdHLBqt7fBNbMk2fB0sY5K4KnLXMfv6MnQVnBG/pfxBPgKe7qV7KA353WisBAdJ5K v8cQ4leCaxdvqXXx1NTmoyj/uo/IFfNGHWGd2OgE6801aIkAiyTwV4Sq0hM/P4xezAPt lQM8avVMLjSVJh3SzrTq2vwZInRRJCgfuT/P9YFNARk2ogJumxYwSiiUZuCDNjWcnMCV KNtfsLoEhVLi8Fagkzp4d91AVtsTGQWoGM/o7SttRT4Co/xJ9HLhUx6lf1i7hjPvNpla ZfRA==
X-Received: by 10.70.47.195 with SMTP id f3mr3849682pdn.156.1415983256545; Fri, 14 Nov 2014 08:40:56 -0800 (PST)
MIME-Version: 1.0
In-Reply-To: <5465e963$0$13009$c3e8da3$5496439d@news.astraweb.com>
References: <96c138e4-ab95-4e5f-a0c8-e696b5a926bb@googlegroups.com> <cf68f3b4-3312-4dda-a224-8f30f7b31b55@googlegroups.com> <87a93wqeq3.fsf@elektro.pacujo.net> <mailman.15744.1415829173.18130.python-list@python.org> <87y4rgozgd.fsf@elektro.pacujo.net> <mailman.15746.1415829905.18130.python-list@python.org> <0cdc67f4-d9d5-4a73-91fe-7558161246af@googlegroups.com> <CALwzidkENP87OiHpyhhP3voBp34_4fsQuUrRX2J1nZBwn_dJ_Q@mail.gmail.com> <mailman.15752.1415832431.18130.python-list@python.org> <5465e963$0$13009$c3e8da3$5496439d@news.astraweb.com>
From: Ian Kelly <ian.g.kelly@gmail.com>
Date: Fri, 14 Nov 2014 09:40:16 -0700
Subject: Re: I love assert
To: Python <python-list@python.org>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
X-Mailman-Approved-At: Fri, 14 Nov 2014 18:42:09 +0100
X-BeenThere: python-list@python.org
X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.15
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>
Newsgroups: comp.lang.python
Message-ID: <mailman.15826.1415986930.18130.python-list@python.org>
Lines: 32
NNTP-Posting-Host: 2001:888:2000:d::a6
X-Trace: 1415986930 news.xs4all.nl 2936 [2001:888:2000:d::a6]:54149
X-Complaints-To: abuse@xs4all.nl
Xref: csiph.com comp.lang.python:80775

On Fri, Nov 14, 2014 at 4:37 AM, Steven D'Aprano
<steve+comp.lang.python@pearwood.info> wrote:
> Ethan Furman wrote:
>
>>> There's no way to make the CONFUSED status be handled without actually
>>> changing the code. The difference is that this version will not
>>> incorrectly treat CONFUSED as WARNING; it just won't do anything at
>>> all if the code is optimized.
>>
>> So, a different wrong thing, but still a wrong thing.  ;)
>
> And potentially a *worse* wrong thing.

Potentially it's worse, but more likely doing the wrong thing will be
worse than doing nothing.

>    "I find it amusing when novice programmers believe their main
>     job is preventing programs from crashing. ... More experienced
>     programmers realize that correct code is great, code that
>     crashes could use improvement, but incorrect code that doesn=E2=80=99=
t
>     crash is a horrible nightmare."
>     -- Chris Smith
>
> Assertions can help by this, by causing wrong code to fail as soon as
> possible (provided, of course, that you don't defeat the assertions by
> running the code with assertions disabled).

I fail to see the relevance of this quote. The code I posted that
you're responding to does use an assertion. The case where it does "a
different wrong thing" is precisely the case where assertions are
disabled.