spir:

> "elif" is nearly unguessable: should be "elseif" or "elsif" (--> Lua does it 
> right).

"elif" is 4 chars long, as "else", this is not a random choice.


> IIRC, said usability studies were about indented code structure (as opposed 
> to token-delimited structure). I have never read anything in studies about 
> ':'.

This is from Guido's blog:
http://python-history.blogspot.com/2009/02/early-language-design-and-development.html

>However, ABC’s authors did invent the use of the colon that separates the 
>lead-in clause from the indented block. After early user testing without the 
>colon, it was discovered that the meaning of the indentation was unclear to 
>beginners being taught the first steps of programming. The addition of the 
>colon clarified it significantly: the colon somehow draws attention to what 
>follows and ties the phrases before and after it together in just the right 
>way.<

Bye,
bearophile

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