Re:SICP in Python
by kazinator on Wednesday April 29, 2020 @03:21PM
(#23023051)
> the default value does not have to be a literal value
The default isn't a literal value when it is [], by the way.
If [] were a literal, then this would not be safe or correct:
def fun():
local = []
local.append(3)
The fact is that whenever [] is evaluated, it produces a fresh list each time. It's a constructor for an empty list, exactly like set() for an empty set. It just has slicker syntactic sugar.
Python just calls that a literal because it looks like one.
Looking is being, in Python. Except for all the pitfalls.
The default isn't a literal value when it is [], by the way.
If [] were a literal, then this would not be safe or correct:
The fact is that whenever [] is evaluated, it produces a fresh list each time. It's a constructor for an empty list, exactly like set() for an empty set. It just has slicker syntactic sugar.Python just calls that a literal because it looks like one.
Looking is being, in Python. Except for all the pitfalls.