On 6 Jan 2007 16:07:05 -0800, [EMAIL PROTECTED] <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Coming from a C++ / C# background, the lack of emphasis on private data > seems weird to me. I've often found wrapping private data useful to > prevent bugs and enforce error checking.. > > It appears to me (perhaps wrongly) that Python prefers to leave class > data public. What is the logic behind that choice?
Google for "python for consenting adults" Or ask yourself the opposite question. Why does C++ and C# prefer more private data? It is given that emphasizing private data (encapsulation) leads to more internal complexity and more lines of code because you have to write getters and setters and stuff. With that in mind, why do you think that data encapsulation makes code less error prone? Can you prove it? Or do you have anecdotal evidence of where data encapsulation saved your ass? IMHO, that data hiding is good, is one of those ideas that have been repeated so much that virtually everyone thinks it is true. But Python proves that it isn't necessarily so. -- mvh Björn -- http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/python-list