Allen Zadr's Journal: Python a new curse word...

I have written code in several computer languages - I've modified code in a whole bunch of computer languages.

Here I am looking at making some minor modifications to a theme for MoinMoin (a Wiki) - when all of a sudden - "IndentationError unindent does not match any outer indentation level"

I thought the last indentation sensitive language died about 25 years ago. Python is now a curse word in my book.

the "evilness" of languages

[Bill Dog]

Don't know if you were being semi-facetious, but it brings up a related peeve of mine, not necessarily directed at you. And that is, I'm sick and tired of hearing things like "C++ sucks because it has operator overloading", "VB sucks because it's from M$", "Perl sucks because it's obfuscated", etc. Every computer language is a tool that has its strong suits, and is indicated, and superior to many others, for certain tasks. None of them are, in the typical childish /.'er mentality, "evil".

On a post-rant note

Re:the "evilness" of languages

[Allen Zadr]

Have to use periods to simulate indents in slashdot.

something {
... this;
... that;
... something_else;

needs_fixing_or;
temporary_debug_statement_or;
really_long_statement_best_back-dented;

... continuation_of_code;
}

There are a lot of reasons why someone might want to oddly indent a section (or even a few lines) of code. I prefer MS BASIC's if/endif blocks - at least there's a consistant visual delimiter.

The one strength Python has... it forces a consistant coding style on it's users.

Otherwise, no, I di

Re:the "evilness" of languages

[elmegil]

I'll say it for you.

Any language that relies on particular whitespace orientation sucks. Period. Python, luckily for me, is the only example I'm directly aware of, and I have no code that requires me to ue it.

Re:the "evilness" of languages

[Bill Dog]

FYI you can get real indents here if you select "Plain Old Text" from the dropdown. It's really a hodgepodge mode, as you can still use HTML tags.

Good point in your example -- I hadn't thought about how I often use temp debug statements and don't indent them so that they don't get lost. Yes, that would annoy me.

Ya, Java fanboys think forcing things on the developer is a "strength" as well. I don't.

Hmm, I guess I take everything back -- Python sucks, is evil, and SHOULD BE BANNED!!!!!!!!
;-)

Re:the "evilness" of languages

[Allen Zadr]

Thank you for your support. Believe me when I say - the visual queue of non-indented lines counts twice for quick code hacks (if it works - comment all the changes, and indent them correctly).

For the record, my favorite language (this decade) is Perl, followed closely by C (yep, plain ole C).

I note to anybody who yells about lack of object orientation... programming modules in separate files to object files to a linker is not much different, and lacks the oft misused and confusing function overloading.