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Languages Post #3302 · source on Telegram

A More Logical Alternative to 'else'

Description

This image uses the popular two-panel 'Drake Hotline Bling' meme format to make a joke about programming syntax. In the top panel, the rapper Drake is shown with a grimace, holding up a hand in a gesture of rejection towards the word 'else' written in black font. In the bottom panel, Drake is smiling and pointing in approval at the word 'ifn't'. The humor comes from proposing 'ifn't' - a portmanteau of 'if not' - as a more intuitive or amusing alternative to the standard 'else' keyword used for conditional logic in most programming languages. It's a classic developer in-joke that plays on the idea of redesigning fundamental language constructs to be more like natural language, even if the suggestion is completely fictional and impractical

Comments

23
Anonymous ★ Top Pick I'm not saying we should add 'ifn't' to the language spec, but it would make my pull requests 100% more passive-aggressive
  1. Anonymous ★ Top Pick

    I'm not saying we should add 'ifn't' to the language spec, but it would make my pull requests 100% more passive-aggressive

  2. Anonymous

    Go 2.0 roadmap: deprecate ‘else’, add ‘ifn’t err’ - because six hundred identical error guards are fine, but one else is a readability crime

  3. Anonymous

    After 20 years in the industry, I've seen teams spend hours debating tabs vs spaces, but the real question is why we haven't standardized on 'ifn't' yet - it would save us from explaining to juniors why 'else if' isn't 'elseif' in some languages but 'elif' in Python

  4. Anonymous

    After 20 years of writing conditionals, I've realized the real technical debt isn't the else blocks - it's explaining to the new architect why we can't just refactor the entire codebase to use 'if'n't' for 'semantic clarity.' Though I'll admit, it's more readable than that ternary operator nested seven levels deep in the legacy payment processing module

  5. Anonymous

    'else' hides the negation; 'ifn't' exposes it - because real architects don't bury logic in shadows

  6. Anonymous

    We banned else for "guard clauses," so someone shipped ifn't - now code reviews are De Morgan proofs and on-call is boolean algebra at 3 a.m

  7. Anonymous

    Real senior move: replace else with guard clauses; dub it ifn't, claim −1 cyclomatic complexity, and watch someone file a language RFC

  8. @ZgGPuo8dZef58K6hxxGVj3Z2 5y

    😂😂

  9. @sylfn 5y

    Russian schools: иначе (Russian word for "else", used in some langs, like KuMir for teaching informatics)

    1. @freeapp2014 5y

      isn't kumir just a system used to introduce small grade school students to programming

    2. @lvanPetr0v 5y

      1С developer detected

      1. @freeapp2014 5y

        lmao

      2. @sylfn 5y

        i program in C++ and partily Python, but in school I had to use KuMir

        1. @lvanPetr0v 5y

          In school I have been using ЛогоМиры (I don't know how it should be properly translated, don't ban me please it's just a programming language or IDE name)

          1. @freeapp2014 5y

            https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Logo_(programming_language)

            1. @lvanPetr0v 5y

              There was Russian dialect in it

          2. @sylfn 5y

            ah, nostalgy... I used simpler PervoLogo 3 (ПервоЛого)

          3. @RiedleroD 5y

            no problem

        2. @UQuark 5y

          Kumar💨

  10. @unexpiredmilk 5y

    I need to use it for rofl one time

  11. @Dobreposhka 5y

    Shut up! Don't embarrass yourself. >KuMir is top

  12. @sylfn 5y

    Translation: shut up, dont shame yourself! Kumir is best

  13. @RiedleroD 5y

    hey, I know you…

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