Arthur artfully argued: > What if: > > There was a well conducted market survey conclusive to the effect that > adding optional strict variable declaration would, in the longer run, > increase Python's market share dramatically.
It's always good to examine one's objectives and motives. I am an enthusiast for marketing Python, but why? Would I get something out of Python being the language du jour? If everyone starts using Python when I am an old hand with the language, will it elevate me? Is a world where people use a programming language called "Python" necessarily a better world? For me the answer to those questions is no. So what would I like? Just the option to use Python when and where it suits me and my tasks - and the continued excellent quality development and maintenance of Python and Python libraries. > It just would. Right! All the cool kids (and if you want to be popular you need to): smoke/smoke dope/get tatoo'd/fight/climb the water tower/get pierced/get drunk/call their girlsfriends a b!#ch/shop lift/ditch school/put their fingers into an electrical outlet Declare variables? Hey, what's one more compromise to get popular?! (I shudder thinking where that slippery slope leads) [Nothing above is meant to imply I haven't done stupid things; rather perhaps that I've already done more than enough to know better; and, by the way, I'm still not "popular". I'd hope GvR and the crew "keep Python Python"] Eric Pederson http://www.songzilla.blogspot.com -- http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/python-list