From: Andrew Kuchling <akuchlin@...>
Date: 2001-10-26T05:14:49+09:00
Subject: [ruby-talk:23346] Re: Bruce Eckel's opinion of Ruby

Sean Russell <ser@germane-software.com> writes:
> I disagree.  With Python, the coding standards are inflexible.  Python is 
> not going to change; you have no chance to provide input; control of the 
> style is so far removed from you that you are, in effect, insignificant.  

I don't understand this objection, as all Python requires is that each
code block is indented to the same level, hardly a draconian
requirement. No consistency across blocks is required, so this is
perfectly legal Python code:

def send_udp_packet ():
    packet = self.codec.next()
    if packet is None: return

    count = 0
    for client in self.clients:
            # 8-space indent
            if not client.authenticated or client.udp_port is None:
                # 4-space indent!
                continue
            count += 1
            msg += repr(client) + ":"

    if count == 0:
      # 2-space indent!
      msg += "no recipients"

It's inconsistent and likely to confuse your editor's Python mode, but
it's quite legal.  You're just not free to be inconsistent within a
block, as in:
    
    for client in self.clients:
       log('Sending to client: %r' % client)
        if not client.authenticated or client.udp_port is None:
            continue
        count += 1

Is the inability to do that really a critical problem?

--amk