[TUHS] Re: python

[Rob Pike <robpike@gmail.com>]

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The idea of indentation defining structure seemed really cool when it
arose. I first saw it in a toy language called Henry, back in the early
1980s.

But over time the notion that invisible characters define program execution
created so many problems that in retrospect it is ill advised despite its
prevalence. In fact its prevalence makes it even less advisable, as it
creates yet more areas for trouble.

-rob


On Thu, Aug 3, 2023 at 10:36 PM Mike Markowski <mike.ab3ap@gmail.com> wrote:

> Clem and all,
>
> I find python string format syntax to be close enough to printf. E.g.,
>
>    print('%.4f ns, (%.4f, %.4fj)' % (tap[0], tap[1].real, tap[1].imag))
>
> However, the example highlights a shortcoming.  While complex numbers
> are supported by the language, there is no formatting support like
> '%.5j' ('j' is my made up format char) to directly format a complex number.
>
> I work in an RF lab focused on work with hardware and lab gear. Some
> points in favor of python are (1) lab gear is controlled by SCPI, (2)
> DSP relies on complex math, and (3) RF propagation modeling is
> computationally intense.
>
> Item (1) is easily performed with python, (2) with python or
> Matlab/octave, and (3) is 'it depends.'  An engineer's friend went from
> slide rule, to calculator, fortran/c (fortran for numbers, c for
> hardware), and now python. A laptop with python or matlab is the new
> 'calculator.'  As to (3), if you will use the program for large
> scenarios, use c or fortran. For small runs or to dovetail results with
> control of lab gear python fills the bill.  (I even went to the slightly
> insane length of converting a classic prop model from fortran to python
> for that reason: https://udel.edu/~mm/itm/ )
>
> I agree 110% that python white space formatting is horrible.  I can't
> say many times I took someone else's program, made a quick change, to
> discover one of us used tabs and the other spaces.
>
> Mike Markowski
>
> On 8/2/23 10:07 PM, Clem Cole wrote:
> > IMO (Like Larry) no printf stinks.  But the real killer for my sustain
> > for Python is the use white space and being typeless.   My daughter
> > loves it for her cloud development and we argue a bit.  But it was the
> > first language she really mastered in college and she never took a
> > competitive languages course so I’m not so sure really had experienced
> > much beyond it for real programs.   Maybe I’m just an old fart but
> > between C, Go and Rust I’m pretty good.  I do write scripts in Bourne
> > shell and or awk truth be known.
> >
>

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