Velocity Reviews - Computer Hardware Reviews

Velocity Reviews > Newsgroups > Programming > Python > Why Turn "Print" into "Print()"????

Reply
Thread Tools

Why Turn "Print" into "Print()"????

 
 
Prisoner at War
Guest
Posts: n/a
 
      05-26-2008

Hi, your friendly neighborhood n00b here, just wondering why on earth
the Py3K folks want to mess with a simple thing like the "print"
"command" (is that what it's called, a command?), turning it into
"print()"...I mean, what's the point, exactly?? To look like a more
"traditional" computer-language format?

And what's with not supporting the so-called softspace "feature" of
the current "print" command, where a space after a comma, like

>>>print "A\n", "B"


outputs

>>>A\nB\n


but with Py3K it will be

>>>print("A\n", "B")


returning

>>>A\n B\n


????

I was all excited to start learning the language, when suddenly I find
out that a new version is slated for release late summer/early fall
this year -- a new version which is not only not backwards-compatible
with previous versions in many important ways, but even when it comes
to a little thing like the "print" command!!

What's up with that??
 
Reply With Quote
 
 
 
 
drobinow@gmail.com
Guest
Posts: n/a
 
      05-26-2008
On May 25, 8:26 pm, Prisoner at War <prisoner_at_...@yahoo.com> wrote:
> Hi, your friendly neighborhood n00b here, just wondering why on earth
> the Py3K folks want to mess with a simple thing like the "print"
> "command" (is that what it's called, a command?), turning it into
> "print()"...I mean, what's the point, exactly?? To look like a more
> "traditional" computer-language format?
>
> And what's with not supporting the so-called softspace "feature" of
> the current "print" command, where a space after a comma, like
>
> >>>print "A\n", "B"

>
> outputs
>
> >>>A\nB\n

>
> but with Py3K it will be
>
> >>>print("A\n", "B")

>
> returning
>
> >>>A\n B\n

>
> ????
>
> I was all excited to start learning the language, when suddenly I find
> out that a new version is slated for release late summer/early fall
> this year -- a new version which is not only not backwards-compatible
> with previous versions in many important ways, but even when it comes
> to a little thing like the "print" command!!
>
> What's up with that??


See http://www.python.org/dev/peps/pep-3105/
That should answer all your questions.
 
Reply With Quote
 
 
 
 
Prisoner at War
Guest
Posts: n/a
 
      05-26-2008
On May 25, 8:37 pm, "drobi...@gmail.com" <drobi...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>
> See http://www.python.org/dev/peps/pep-3105/
> That should answer all your questions.


Hey, thanks, I missed that one!

Not that I understand the rationale given (iman00b), but oh well, so
it looks like a real function now.

Might you have any idea, BTW, whether the upcoming "Head First
Programming" from O'Reilly, coming in August, will cover Python 3??
Unlikely, right? Unless maybe if that guy Vern Ceder (the author) is
active in the Python development community??

I'd already pre-ordered the book...but it makes no sense to get a book
on "old" Python 2.x if it's just going to get deprecated in like a
year or two! Then again, current Python programs would still work,
right? I mean, once it's been done up as an executable...PySol or
something should still work, right? (Sorry, iman00b, I don't really
know how this stuff works....)
 
Reply With Quote
 
Gabriel Genellina
Guest
Posts: n/a
 
      05-26-2008
En Mon, 26 May 2008 02:06:02 -0300, Prisoner at War <> escribió:

> Might you have any idea, BTW, whether the upcoming "Head First
> Programming" from O'Reilly, coming in August, will cover Python 3??
> Unlikely, right? Unless maybe if that guy Vern Ceder (the author) is
> active in the Python development community??
>
> I'd already pre-ordered the book...but it makes no sense to get a book
> on "old" Python 2.x if it's just going to get deprecated in like a
> year or two! Then again, current Python programs would still work,
> right? I mean, once it's been done up as an executable...PySol or
> something should still work, right? (Sorry, iman00b, I don't really
> know how this stuff works....)


The differences aren't so fundamental or important: it's not an entirely new language, just some ugly old things are being removed or changed in incompatible ways (at *some* time it was supposed to happen - but could not happen on the 2.x series which has to remain backwards compatible)
Also, Python 3.0 will be released simultaneously with 2.6, and there will be other 2.x releases. Python 2 won't magically disappear from Earth, I don't think Linux distros will come with Python 3.0 by default anytime soon (perhaps not before 3.1).
So learning Python with a book targeted to 2.5 isn't a waste of time - not at all.
(This subject has already been discussed several times in this group.)

--
Gabriel Genellina

 
Reply With Quote
 
Prisoner at War
Guest
Posts: n/a
 
      05-26-2008
On May 26, 1:37 am, "Gabriel Genellina" <gagsl-...@yahoo.com.ar>
wrote:
>
>
> The differences aren't so fundamental or important: it's not an entirely new language, just some ugly old things are being removed or changed in incompatible ways (at *some* time it was supposed to happen - but could not happen on the 2.x series which has to remain backwards compatible)
> Also, Python 3.0 will be released simultaneously with 2.6, and there will be other 2.x releases. Python 2 won't magically disappear from Earth, I don't think Linux distros will come with Python 3.0 by default anytime soon (perhaps not before 3.1).


But I'd read that Python 3 is very different in many important ways.
I read it right there on the Py3K site! I can't make sense of how,
why, even what, exactly, but that's not a misimpression on my part, I
certain nonetheless...it's not just cosmetic changes but important
ones pertaining to a sort of "linguistic logic" I gather....

> So learning Python with a book targeted to 2.5 isn't a waste of time - not at all.


Well, I will be learning Python from the excellent materials available
online, to be sure, but a book that I spend money for, well, I have
"higher standards" for it, you know, one of which is that it doesn't
get superseded so soon!

> (This subject has already been discussed several times in this group.)


Oops, sorry! Just thinking aloud a logical follow-up question....

> --
> Gabriel Genellina


 
Reply With Quote
 
Ulrich Eckhardt
Guest
Posts: n/a
 
      05-26-2008
Prisoner at War wrote:
> On May 26, 1:37 am, "Gabriel Genellina" <gagsl-...@yahoo.com.ar> wrote:
>>
>>
>> The differences aren't so fundamental or important: it's not an entirely
>> new language, just some ugly old things are being removed or changed in
>> incompatible ways (at *some* time it was supposed to happen - but could
>> not happen on the 2.x series which has to remain backwards compatible)
>> Also, Python 3.0 will be released simultaneously with 2.6, and there will
>> be other 2.x releases. Python 2 won't magically disappear from Earth, I
>> don't think Linux distros will come with Python 3.0 by default anytime
>> soon (perhaps not before 3.1).

>
> But I'd read that Python 3 is very different in many important ways.


Yes, and that is the reason it is version 3.x instead of another 2.x. Moving
to version 3 signals that some changes were done that are _not_ backward
compatible and not even intended to.

> I read it right there on the Py3K site! I can't make sense of how,
> why, even what, exactly, but that's not a misimpression on my part,
> I certain nonetheless...it's not just cosmetic changes but important
> ones pertaining to a sort of "linguistic logic" I gather....


Well, cosmetic or important is always in the eye of the beholder. I
personally would say that they are important cosmetic changes. You don't
get any new features or a more Touring-complete language suddenly, but it
will be much more consistent because it doesn't have to maintain wrong
decisions of the past, like making 'print' a separate statement when a
function would do.

>> So learning Python with a book targeted to 2.5 isn't a waste of time -
>> not at all.

>
> Well, I will be learning Python from the excellent materials available
> online, to be sure, but a book that I spend money for, well, I have
> "higher standards" for it, you know, one of which is that it doesn't
> get superseded so soon!


As already pointed out, Python 2 will not suddenly cease to exist and
knowledge about it won't suddenly be worthless either. I guess it will take
a few years until the use of Python 3 supercedes that of Python 2.

Uli

--
Sator Laser GmbH
Geschäftsführer: Thorsten Föcking, Amtsgericht Hamburg HR B62 932

 
Reply With Quote
 
alex23
Guest
Posts: n/a
 
      05-26-2008
On May 26, 7:21 pm, Prisoner at War <prisoner_at_...@yahoo.com> wrote:
> But I'd read that Python 3 is very different in many important ways.
> I read it right there on the Py3K site! I can't make sense of how,
> why, even what, exactly, but that's not a misimpression on my part, I
> certain nonetheless...it's not just cosmetic changes but important
> ones pertaining to a sort of "linguistic logic" I gather....


Well, let's see what Guido says about the issue:

Q. I want to learn Python. Should I learn Python 2.6 or Python 3.0?

A. Definitely learn Python 2.x (the latest version out is 2.5). I
expect it'll be two years before you'll need to learn Python 3.0, and
the differences aren't that great from a beginner's perspective: most
of what you'll learn about 2.x will still hold about 3.0.

(from http://www.artima.com/weblogs/viewpo...?thread=211200)
 
Reply With Quote
 
Terry Reedy
Guest
Posts: n/a
 
      05-27-2008

"alex23" <> wrote in message
news:b38b30a9-dbe1-4a78-ba14-...
| On May 26, 7:21 pm, Prisoner at War <prisoner_at_...@yahoo.com> wrote:
| > But I'd read that Python 3 is very different in many important ways.
| > I read it right there on the Py3K site! I can't make sense of how,
| > why, even what, exactly, but that's not a misimpression on my part, I
| > certain nonetheless...it's not just cosmetic changes but important
| > ones pertaining to a sort of "linguistic logic" I gather....

One important different for beginners is the elimination of old ways that
no longer need be learned. Another is that a few inconsistencies have be
ironed out.

| Well, let's see what Guido says about the issue:
|
| Q. I want to learn Python. Should I learn Python 2.6 or Python 3.0?
|
| A. Definitely learn Python 2.x (the latest version out is 2.5). I
| expect it'll be two years before you'll need to learn Python 3.0, and
| the differences aren't that great from a beginner's perspective: most
| of what you'll learn about 2.x will still hold about 3.0.
|
| (from http://www.artima.com/weblogs/viewpo...?thread=211200)

My personal view is a little different. Learn 3.0 unless you have a reason
to learn 2.x (and there are many possible . Guido wrote the above
nearly a year ago, before either existed to be learned. As it turned out,
a decision was made to backport most of the new features of 3.0 into 2.6 to
ease the transition. Consequently, 2.6 is in some sense the union of 2.5
and 3.0, so that there is more to learn. This is not a problem for Guido,
but I can easily imagine that the extra duplication of function might be
for a new learner, let alone someone like me who liked Python for its
relative smallness. I personally have no perceived need and hence no plans
to ever touch 2.6. So, depending on circumstances, again, I might suggest
2.5 instead of 2.6.

tjr



 
Reply With Quote
 
Sverker Nilsson
Guest
Posts: n/a
 
      05-27-2008
print a statement

let's make it import() if() (C freaks) except() else() what else()

It was just convenient to not have to write those parenthesis

I agree with the OP, of course if you wrote my post after I began look
into this

Parentheses for the people..

I mean, it's not that.... making it a function?

Well I'd have suggested, make a function and call it write()

The name print is a misnormer any case

So it keeps a misleading name and make it a function, thinks it is a
cleanup

Just Add a write() builtin function so can we use that if we want a
function

but keep the print statement, the import statement, the if statement,
the for statement...

Dont make they functions. Or is this just to throw us out?

S...


On May 26, 12:20 pm, Ulrich Eckhardt <eckha...@satorlaser.com> wrote:
> Prisoner at War wrote:
> > On May 26, 1:37 am, "Gabriel Genellina" <gagsl-...@yahoo.com.ar> wrote:

>
> >> The differences aren't so fundamental or important: it's not an entirely
> >> new language, just some ugly old things are being removed or changed in
> >> incompatible ways (at *some* time it was supposed to happen - but could
> >> not happen on the 2.x series which has to remain backwards compatible)
> >> Also, Python 3.0 will be released simultaneously with 2.6, and there will
> >> be other 2.x releases. Python 2 won't magically disappear from Earth, I
> >> don't think Linux distros will come with Python 3.0 by default anytime
> >> soon (perhaps not before 3.1).

>
> > But I'd read that Python 3 is very different in many important ways.

>
> Yes, and that is the reason it is version 3.x instead of another 2.x. Moving
> to version 3 signals that some changes were done that are _not_ backward
> compatible and not even intended to.
>
> > I read it right there on the Py3K site! I can't make sense of how,
> > why, even what, exactly, but that's not a misimpression on my part,
> > I certain nonetheless...it's not just cosmetic changes but important
> > ones pertaining to a sort of "linguistic logic" I gather....

>
> Well, cosmetic or important is always in the eye of the beholder. I
> personally would say that they are important cosmetic changes. You don't
> get any new features or a more Touring-complete language suddenly, but it
> will be much more consistent because it doesn't have to maintain wrong
> decisions of the past, like making 'print' a separate statement when a
> function would do.
>
> >> So learning Python with a book targeted to 2.5 isn't a waste of time -
> >> not at all.

>
> > Well, I will be learning Python from the excellent materials available
> > online, to be sure, but a book that I spend money for, well, I have
> > "higher standards" for it, you know, one of which is that it doesn't
> > get superseded so soon!

>
> As already pointed out, Python 2 will not suddenly cease to exist and
> knowledge about it won't suddenly be worthless either. I guess it will take
> a few years until the use of Python 3 supercedes that of Python 2.
>
> Uli
>
> --
> Sator Laser GmbH
> Geschäftsführer: Thorsten Föcking, Amtsgericht Hamburg HR B62 932


 
Reply With Quote
 
alex23
Guest
Posts: n/a
 
      05-27-2008
On May 27, 5:47 pm, Sverker Nilsson <s...@sncs.se> wrote:
> Dont make they functions. Or is this just to throw us out?


Have you even bothered to read the reasoning for this change since the
last time you got your knickers twisted over it?

http://www.python.org/dev/peps/pep-3105/#rationale

I don't see "**** everyone off" listed there anywhere.

Personally, I believe if you're writing code of any serious length,
you generally shouldn't be using 'print' anyway, using the logging
module allows for a lot more flexibility.

If you're bothered by having to type the parentheses while in the
interpreter, try using IPython with it's autocall mode turned on.
 
Reply With Quote
 
 
 
Reply

Thread Tools

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are On
Pingbacks are On
Refbacks are Off


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Why Pay For Cable? Turn Your Computer Into A TV edcwealth1 Computer Support 1 06-22-2007 01:40 PM
Why Pay For Cable? Turn Your Computer Into A TV edcwealth1 Python 0 06-22-2007 07:41 AM
why why why why why Mr. SweatyFinger ASP .Net 4 12-21-2006 01:15 PM
findcontrol("PlaceHolderPrice") why why why why why why why why why why why Mr. SweatyFinger ASP .Net 2 12-02-2006 03:46 PM
turn quotes into &quot; and apostrophes into &apos; Eric Osman Javascript 2 04-14-2004 03:51 PM



Advertisments
 



1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57