You can use classes withput doing full blown OO. Classes are not only for encapsulating data with behavior or code reuse through inheritance hierachies. Sure, you can use them for that, but you can also use them for code as documentation.
IMHO using adhoc data structures like dicts and named tuples is schemaless programming - the equivalent of choosing MongoDB over a SQL database, but without any of the performance arguments. It's fine for small one off scripts, but as your software's complexity grows the implicit (and often entirely undocumented) schema turns into tech debt.
It's fine for small one off scripts, but as your software's complexity grows the implicit (and often entirely undocumented) schema turns into tech debt.
It's a great way to start off a project, when you're still filling in the details of how everything will fit together. Once you've worked out what the schema is, then you can solidify it into classes.
Comments
You can use classes withput doing full blown OO. Classes are not only for encapsulating data with behavior or code reuse through inheritance hierachies. Sure, you can use them for that, but you can also use them for code as documentation.
IMHO using adhoc data structures like dicts and named tuples is schemaless programming - the equivalent of choosing MongoDB over a SQL database, but without any of the performance arguments. It's fine for small one off scripts, but as your software's complexity grows the implicit (and often entirely undocumented) schema turns into tech debt.
It's a great way to start off a project, when you're still filling in the details of how everything will fit together. Once you've worked out what the schema is, then you can solidify it into classes.