Re: Python documentary

To you (if apparently in-reply to the OP),


On 30/08/25 07:19, Larry Martell via Python-list wrote:
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GfH4QL4VqJ0
> 
> Watched this last night. Overall I enjoyed it (but my wife, who is not a
> programmer, fell asleep). My only quibble is that they spent too much time
> talking about the walrus controversy.

The 'walrus controversy' evoked considerable reaction within the Python 
Community. Some of which was at the passionate/vitriolic end of the 
scale (both for and against). Many of us decided 'best to 
stay-out-of-it', and eventually the sheer weight sparked Guido van 
Rossum's personal-decision to step-back.


Until that time, Python's development had been led by the BDFL 
(Benevolent Dictator for Life). If Guido agreed with a change it was 
included into Python. If not, it wasn't.

What followed, as per the challenge in his resignation-email, was a 
significant shift in Python's governance to a more democratic model - 
now managed under the PSF (Python Software Foundation).

(PS you should look into these processes, right now, if you want to be 
involved in choosing members of the Steering Committee, for instance.)


So, the 'walrus operator' led directly to the shift from BDFL-leadership 
to a group/collaborative decision-making process. The time it took to 
respond and form-up had a major impact on Python's growth, both as a 
language and as a Community.

The decision to accept/deny 'walrus' also became the first 
PEP/feature-acceptance to test the mechanisms of the community's 
response to the change in governance it had provoked. Had this 
'live-test' failed, where would Python be today?


Thus, the 'walrus' may not have been a major change to the Python 
language, but back-then was an important period in the history of the 
Python Community deserving coverage in the movie.


PPS no wish to re-ignite debate over the 'walrus operator' ("assignment 
expression", ie `a := 6`)

Web.Refs:
https://docs.python.org/3/reference/expressions.html#assignment-expressions
https://peps.python.org/pep-0572/

-- 
Regards,
=dn