Thus spoke Marc 'BlackJack' Rintsch (on 2006-06-18 18:54): > In <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, Mirco Wahab wrote: >> they use the _same_ operator (+) for number _addition_ >> and string _concatenation_, which is, imho, cumbersome. > > And ``+`` means also list/tuple concatenation and really anything for user > defined types. > >> If you have an operator with meaning "add numbers" (+) >> and one for "add strings" (.), the language could then >> do the obvious for you. > > The dot also has already a meaning, it's the attribute lookup operator.
Yes, that may be the real reason? >> Why would one go from C/C++ to "dynamical typed" >> things, if he has to be so explicit on easy >> things? > > Strings that act sometimes as strings and sometimes as numbers when used > with ``+`` are quite confusing. No, thats not what I tried to say, it's rather: /things/ act _always_ as strings and _always_ as numbers _when used_ as a 'string' or as a 'number'. I don't consider that one 'confusing'. > Two relevant lines from the Zen of Python: > Explicit is better than implicit. > In the face of ambiguity, refuse the temptation to guess. This is, iirc, /exactly/ the reason why in (e.g.) Perl they put sigils ($%@) in front of the variables. So all gets explicit - there's no more ambiguity ... > And don't mix up weakly and dynamically typed. > Python is dynamically and strictly typed. OK, right. I didn't separate 'strict' from 'weak' regarding data types. I think I got used too much to these nice 'backhand conversions'. I'm sure I wouldn't have blinked once if I had gone directly from C++ (or Java) to Python, but now I have still the Perl disease in my bones ;-) Regards Mirco -- http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/python-list
