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[Python-Dev] replacing 'global'

Guido van Rossum guido at python.org
Wed Oct 22 01:02:56 EDT 2003 
[Samuele]
> . suggests runtime, for compile time then maybe

Right, that's what I don't like about it.

> global::x=42
> module::x=42
> 
> outer::x=42
> 
> (I don't like those, and personally I don't see the need to get rebinding 
> for closed-over variables but anyway)

I don't like these either.

> another possibility is that today  <name> <name> is a syntax error, so maybe
> 
> global x = 42 or
> module x = 42
> 
> they would not be statements, this for symmetry would also be legal:
> 
> y = module x + 1
> 
> then
> 
> outer x = 42
> 
> and also
> 
> y = g x + 1
> 
> the problems are also clear, in some other languages x y is function 
> application, etc..

Juxtaposition of names opens a whole lot of cans of worms -- for one,
it makes many more typos pass the parser.

--Guido van Rossum (home page: http://www.python.org/~guido/)
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