Stop writing lambda expressions in Python
Python really needs much better anonymous functions - Lambda expressions just don&#x27;t cut it.<p>To be clear, what Python does need is multiline, inline anonymous functions. In JavaScript&#x2F;ES2015, the fat arrow function syntax is just remarkably powerful in its ability to simplify code.  I would go so far as to say that the ES2015 fat arrow syntax completely changed the way my programs are written, increasing power and reducing complexity.  ES2015 fat arrows I think are possible the best programming language feature I know.<p>async programming in JavaScript benefits massively from the beautifully terse and powerful anonymous functions in ES2015. Python now has powerful async programming, but no equivalent to the ES2015 terse inline function anonymous function syntax.<p>I raised this issue elsewhere once and someone said &quot;there will never be multiline, inline anonymous functions in Python because it would require brackets&quot;.  If so then it is a great pity that Python is simply not capable of including a language feature that is IMO absolutely critical.<p>Also, as mentioned elsewhere in this thread, using the word &quot;lambda&quot; to describe anonymous functions is a really really bad decision.  Lambda sounds very deep, very computer sciencey and very complex.  Probably they should just be called anonymous functions in keeping with the rest of the industry, which also is not a great name but is much better than &quot;Lambda&quot; functions.<p>Beginners might think along these lines: &quot;Lambda .... lambda calculus? I don&#x27;t know calculus.  I&#x27;m outta here.&quot;<p>Names matter.