[Python-Dev] PEP 348 (exception reorg) revised again

Mon Aug 15 15:47:54 CEST 2005

> > It is completely Pythonic to have bare keywords
> > apply a useful default as an aid to readability and ease of coding.

[Oleg]
> Bare "while:" was rejected because of "while WHAT?!". Bare
"except:"
> does not cause "except WHAT?!" reaction. Isn't it funny?! (-:

It's both funny and interesting. It raises the question of what makes
the two different -- why is one instantly recognizable and why does the
other trigger a gag reflex. My thought is that bare excepts occur in a
context that makes their meaning clear:
 try:
 block()
 except SpecificException:
 se_handler()
 except:
 handle_everything_else()
The pattern of use is similar to a "default" in a switch-case construct.
Viewed out-of-context, one would ask "default WHAT". Viewed after a
series of case statements, the meaning is vividly clear.
Raymond