Skip Montanaro wrote:
Thanks, Skip. I remember the discussions on python-dev, but I don't think that invalidates my point. I wasn't suggesting nobody realized there would be name-droppings, simply that nobody realized that a later goal of namespace purity would take priority over the initial one of for-loop compatibility.Steve> The fact that a bright bunch like the Python developers didn't Steve> realize that it would be sensible to have a local scope for the Steve> list comprehension variable is a perfect demonstration of that Steve> point.
Actually, I seem to recall that the topic came up, but at the time the goal was that list comprehensions be semantically the same as for loops, so the fact that the loop variable survived to pollute the namespace was deemed okay.
Skip
Similar issues surrounded nested scopes, if I remember, and even there the jury's still out.
Which is why I "accused" Paul Rubin of requiring psychic powers from language developers when he said "So once we can see where it's going, why not proceed to the finish line immediately instead of bothering with the intermediate steps?"
we-can't-always-see-where-we're-going-ly y'rs - steve -- Steve Holden http://www.holdenweb.com/ Python Web Programming http://pydish.holdenweb.com/ Holden Web LLC +1 703 861 4237 +1 800 494 3119 -- http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/python-list
