On Tuesday, April 19, 2016 at 5:18:07 PM UTC+5:30, Marko Rauhamaa wrote: > Paul Rudin : > > > Pete Forman writes: > >> Why is it that Python continues to use a fixed width font and > >> therefore specifies the maximum line width as a character count? > > > > Python doesn't require the use of any particular font for editing your > > code. > > > > However programmers tend to use fixed width fonts when editing code > > because then the visual representation of indentation works > > consistently. But that's not a python specific thing. > > Prehistoric programming languages considered uppercase/lowercase > differences insignificant variations. Most modern languages preserve the > distinction and in fact invite us to make a difference between: > > BLACK > Black > black > > Why stop there? > > We need a PEP to distinguish also between: > > - typefaces (Times New Roman vs Garamond) > > - weights (bold vs thin) > > - serifs (with or without) > > - sizes (8pt vs 11pt) > > - colors (goldenrod vs maroon) > > > Think of all the lesser programming languages that would seem so > 20th-century when Python takes this step -- which virtually every > self-respecting web site has already taken in their style sheets!
You are of course being facetious but Forth already beat you to it in Color Forth: https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/ashleyf/2013/11/02/the-beautiful-simplicity-of-colorforth/ More seriously the problem is that when we go from 100 of ASCII to 1 million of Unicode its like a digital to analogue jump. In http://blog.languager.org/2014/04/unicoded-python.html Ive described that it would be nice if for instance we could write x ≤ y in place of the clunky x <= y Likewise x ≠ y would obviate all useless arguments between x <>y or x != y etc But then there are a slew of lookalikes like x ≲ y x ≦ y If someone seriously starts embracing unicode in program source, these kinds of questions/issues need corresponding serious consideration. In the same way and like colorforth, it would be better to distinguish <font-size=huge>identifier</font> from <font-size=normal>identifier</font> rather than the current status of distinguishing identifier from Identifier But then we have a slippery slope: Should <font-size=12> be same/distinct from <font-size=13> ? -- https://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/python-list
