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nested scopes

Michael Hudson mwh21 at cam.ac.uk
Tue Feb 6 10:55:53 EST 2001 
Martin von Loewis <loewis at informatik.hu-berlin.de> writes:

> Robin Becker <robin at jessikat.fsnet.co.uk> writes:
> 
> > Is it really true that J Hylton's nested scopes will cause code like
> > 
> > def bingo():
> >   from string import *
> >   ....
> > 
> > to be declared bad? 
> 
> That code has been bad for a long time. See
> 
> http://www.python.org/doc/current/ref/import.html
> 
> which says
> 
> # The from form with "*" may only occur in a module scope.
> 
> It is only now that this restriction is enforced by CPython; again,
> the code was incorrect for a long time (see
> 
> http://www.python.org/doc/1.4/ref/ref6.html#REF17806
> 
> to get my point; it was also in the 1.1 version of the language
> reference).

I've been meaning to say this for a few days, but finally I get round
to saying that this particular argument bothers me; Python isn't a
language you program with a reference manual open at all times
(unlike, say, C++) - and this IMHO is a good thing.  This particular
change probably isn't too stressful, but I slightly fear more onerous
restrictions might be lurking in the ref manual to be whipped out when
we next get comfortable with the language.

Cheers,
M.

-- 
  (Of course SML does have its weaknesses, but by comparison, a
  discussion of C++'s strengths and flaws always sounds like an
  argument about whether one should face north or east when one
  is sacrificing one's goat to the rain god.)         -- Thant Tessman
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