Why don't many languages implement an everything-before-is-a-comment symbol?
Python and PowerShell use # to denote to the parser that everything after them until the line break is a comment. They even provide block comments for multiline situations. However, there is no counterpart to the aforementioned that provides its opposite - the ability to denote that everything before the symbol is a comment. Consequently, is there a reason why consensus is so unanimous that comments are to be appended, rather than prepended, to the extent that the ability to facilitate this style is generally not even provided in most languages (especially those without inline comments, like the aforementioned Python)? See the undermentioned for comparative examples: Reversed Print hello # print("Hello") Print world # print("World") Import math # import math Define circle # def circle_area(radius): Calculate area # return math.pi * radius ** 2 Print area # print(circle_area(5)) Define factorial # def factorial(n): Base case # if n == 0: Return 1 # return 1 Recursive case # else: Return n * fac # return n * factorial(n - 1) Print factorial # print(factorial(5)) Standard print("Hello") # Print hello print("World") # Print world import math # Import math def circle_area(radius): # Define circle return math.pi * radius ** 2 # Calculate area print(circle_area(5)) # Print area def factorial(n): # Define factorial if n == 0: # Base case return 1 # Return 1 else: # Recursive case return n * factorial(n - 1) # Return n * fac print(factorial(5)) # Print factorial Hypotheses I initially presumed it might be because of comment alignment, but evaluated this, and noticed that it functioned approximately as well as comments on languages with limited line length do currently. My last and best estimate is the dominance of LTR script amongst programming languages (despite its use of Arabic numerals). Discovery If of interest, I noticed this absence when answering stackoverflow.com/revisions/79048760/10 – I wanted a way to include the ability to create dotfiles whilst maintaining PowerShell syntax compatibility. I was, of course, unsuccessful in this due to the absence of this. I'd not previously contemplated its absence, which is perhaps an answer to this question in and of itself. However, it's unsatisfactory - I find it improbable (and somewhat egotistical) to expect that I'm the first to evaluate the (un)usefulness of such functionality.
Python and PowerShell use # to denote to the parser that everything after them until the line break is a comment. They even provide block comments for multiline situations. However, there is no counterpart to the aforementioned that provides its opposite - the ability to denote that everything before the symbol is a comment.
Consequently, is there a reason why consensus is so unanimous that comments are to be appended, rather than prepended, to the extent that the ability to facilitate this style is generally not even provided in most languages (especially those without inline comments, like the aforementioned Python)?
See the undermentioned for comparative examples:
Reversed
Print hello # print("Hello") Print world # print("World") Import math # import math Define circle # def circle_area(radius): Calculate area # return math.pi * radius ** 2 Print area # print(circle_area(5)) Define factorial # def factorial(n): Base case # if n == 0: Return 1 # return 1 Recursive case # else: Return n * fac # return n * factorial(n - 1) Print factorial # print(factorial(5))Standard
print("Hello") # Print hello print("World") # Print world import math # Import math def circle_area(radius): # Define circle return math.pi * radius ** 2 # Calculate area print(circle_area(5)) # Print area def factorial(n): # Define factorial if n == 0: # Base case return 1 # Return 1 else: # Recursive case return n * factorial(n - 1) # Return n * fac print(factorial(5)) # Print factorial
Hypotheses
I initially presumed it might be because of comment alignment, but evaluated this, and noticed that it functioned approximately as well as comments on languages with limited line length do currently.
My last and best estimate is the dominance of LTR script amongst programming languages (despite its use of Arabic numerals).
Discovery
If of interest, I noticed this absence when answering stackoverflow.com/revisions/79048760/10 – I wanted a way to include the ability to create dotfiles whilst maintaining PowerShell syntax compatibility. I was, of course, unsuccessful in this due to the absence of this.
I'd not previously contemplated its absence, which is perhaps an answer to this question in and of itself. However, it's unsatisfactory - I find it improbable (and somewhat egotistical) to expect that I'm the first to evaluate the (un)usefulness of such functionality.
