[Python-3000] Support for PEP 3131 (original) (raw)

Pierre Hanser hanser at club-internet.fr
Sun May 13 21:01:35 CEST 2007

some personnal thoughts on the subject, pro, of course:

  1. it's a matter of justice:

everybody should have the right to name his variables with the exact name he prefers.

  1. it's a matter of equity:

why would only english speakers able to write programs? (and even english uses accents in numerous words: café, ...)

  1. it's a matter of freedom, finally dropping old imperialism

I would say this PEP has something to do with freeing the world from imperialism! you will have to be very convincing to refuse the pep without spreading a disgracious feeling of wanting to spread english more than needed (i know that many people on this list are not english nor US citizens, but that's not enough to avoid this feeling...)

  1. it does not suppress anything to anybody:

the risk is to have more programs available, even if you can't fully read them. No need to come with a proof of utility: you dislike => don't use it, but don't prevent others to use it.

  1. rules for official library may be stricter

Everybody is mature enough to know the audience of his programs: personnal => may use native language, public => should use english, it seems.

in fact I'm even not against inclusion of not english libraries in the standard lib, but if this is the way to have the pep, i would accept restrictions.

may be a lexicon at the beginning of each library written in a foreign language would be enough

  1. it gives access to litterary programming

I try to avoid the expression 'litterate programming' because I know the traditionnal connotation, but my english is not good enough to find a good title. So, let me describe:

one of the biggest advantages I see is the ability to write well written programming expressions. French without accents is not really french and looks always poor to demanding people.

joy of programming comes with the beauty of well written algorithms, written in good language. And your language is always a bit better than any other, if you can write it in it's full glory.

  1. most other considerations do not matter

font: probably you can find fonts for most languages (?)

difficulty of writing: this get's better from day to day

...

  1. the programmer, He in the previous lines, may be of course male or female...

my 8 cents for this evening

Pierre

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