On 05/09/2014 06:11 PM, Steven D'Aprano wrote:
On Fri, 09 May 2014 17:34:17 -0500, Mark H Harris wrote:
On 5/7/14 8:27 PM, Steven D'Aprano wrote:
<snip>
Why are new Python coders 'always' confused by this question of
variable (name value) vs. {name: object} model of Python?
"Always"? I don't think anyone, not even Ben, claims that new Python
coders are "always" confused about Python's variable semantics. That
would be a straw man, easy to disprove by just finding a single person
who wasn't confused. Perhaps someone who had never learned C and didn't
know C variable semantics?
Well, here is that one person. ;-)
I'm an entirely self-taught amateur/hobbyist programmer, coming to Python from a C background.
Very early in my reading of books/tutorials on Python I learned that Python variables are
different, and how they are different from C variables. Essentially I said, "Okay, they're
different. What's next?" There was no confusion at all. All I had to do was accept that they
_are_ different. (BTW, I'm now quite hooked on Python -- and still learning it.)
The reason I suggest is that the person has a preconceived idea of
what 'variable' means, and they then attempt to apply their conception
of variable on to Python in some way ending in a surprise.
That's the problem as some of us see it.
As I said above, not a problem. I already accepted the fact that all programming languages are
different -- often with similarities, but more often quite different, especially in the details.
So when programming in C I think in C-style variables, in Python I think in Python-style
variables. And uv course, I nefer make mmistakes... Yeah, right! ;-)
We need a way to speak about Pythons name object model to avoid
this confusion.
And that would be the "name binding" part.
This is something I absolutely disagree with. I still think it's only necessary to teach that
variables in different languages are handled differently. Insisting on a different name is NOT
helpful. And insisting that Python does not have variables is ludicrous!
-=- Larry -=-
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