Derek Martin wrote: > On Sun, Jan 04, 2009 at 09:56:33PM -0600, Grant Edwards wrote: >> On 2009-01-05, Derek Martin <c...@pizzashack.org> wrote: >>> On Sat, Jan 03, 2009 at 11:38:46AM -0600, Grant Edwards wrote: >>>> One presumes that Mr. Martin finds anything different from his >>>> first computer language to be BIZARRE. He should try out >>>> Prolog or something genuinely different. >>> One's presumption would be mistaken. However thank you for >>> illustrating my point so precisely, which was after all the >>> condescending and insulting way people "communicate" with >>> people whom (they think) know less than they do in this forum, >>> and not actually how difficult or easy the assignment model of >>> Python is to understand. >> I'm sorry, but I really don't see how Python's assignment model >> could be considered bizarre by anybody who's familiar with more >> than one or two languages. > > And... what if one wasn't? The OP of this thread clearly didn't > understand... Whereas if you've read the thread, clearly I do. > Of course, had you read my post, you probably would have understood > that my comment about the model being bizarre was intended to be > viewed from the perspective of someone who *had not* seen anything > like it before, which is LOTS of relatively new programmers, whether > or not it might be old hat to anyone here. The ultimate point of my > post was not so much about whether the assignment model of Python was > or wasn't easy to understand; it was about the idea that when someone > doesn't understand, we should try to help them instead of making snide > remarks about how stupid or small-minded they are.
Even if they really are small-minded or stupid I agree this wouldn't be helpful behavior. But neither would your characterization of Python's assignment model as "bizarre" (even ignoring that you SHOUTED IT AT US), and I have yet to see you admit that such a characterization was, shall we say, inappropriate. It takes little to admit one is in the wrong even when one isn't. I've had to learn to do it because I often *am* wrong about things. Could you be persuaded to consider the possibility that you met with a somewhat hostile reaction (whether or not such a reaction was useful or necessary) because you were, in a small way, poking people in the side with a sharp stick? If you couldn't I might find that a *little* bizarre. regards Steve -- Steve Holden +1 571 484 6266 +1 800 494 3119 Holden Web LLC http://www.holdenweb.com/ -- http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/python-list
