[Python-Dev] [slighly OT] Native speakers and hurting brains (original) (raw)

Greg Ewing greg.ewing at canterbury.ac.nz
Wed Jul 12 05:44:32 CEST 2006

Gareth McCaughan wrote:

(I agree that Greg's interpretation is also not well supported by that thread;

I was perhaps a bit excessive in claiming that language had nothing to do with it. What I meant was that it wasn't the only consideration. If there hadn't been any disadvantages, quite possibly the ability to use sum() on strings would have been supported, or at least not actively blocked.

But because of the disadvantage I mentioned, together with the fact that it's an odd meaning for "sum" (whether you're a native English speaker or not), the decision was made to disallow it.

Does that version sound less like a creation myth?-)

-- Greg

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