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From: Ned Batchelder <ned@nedbatchelder.com>
Subject: Re: Messages from code analysis tools
Date: Sun, 16 Nov 2014 20:49:58 -0500
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On 11/16/14 8:21 PM, Ben Finney wrote:
> Ned Batchelder <ned@nedbatchelder.com> writes:
>
>> Pylint isn't useful until you've tailored the messages.
>
> Definitely agreed.
>
>> The pylint message that always irked me was:
>>
>>      W0142: Used * or ** magic
>>
>> "magic"? They're features of the language!
>
> It's a warning, because the use of that feature clobbers the static code
> inspection you've asked for. PyLint is warning you “because the code
> uses this feature, I can't say anything about undefined names”.
>

That's the best explanation I've heard for why they warn about it.  I 
wish they would find a more sophisticated word than "magic".

-- 
Ned Batchelder, http://nedbatchelder.com