On 2024-04-03 19:06:25 +0200 (+0200), Sven Kieske wrote:
[...]
bad coding practices like inscrutable variable names, no Types being
used
[...]

It's hard to say lack of typing is a "bad coding practice" for code
that was written (as much as a decade) before Python standardized on
any sort of type annotation scheme. Not getting into judgement on
whether typing is a real improvement in the language, but don't
fault an antique radio for using tubes instead of transistors.

There is a line between not judging something for what it is, some years old,
written with the knowledge of the time, and not allowing for new developments and improvements
to be leveraged because one holds the "we have always done it this way"-paradigm too high.

And "modernizing" is the first word of the subject line, not "judging" or "discrediting". This is a discussion about which
more recent developments in the Python ecosystem might make sense adopting, which conventions could be put in place.
As in, "should we maybe switch to transistors instead of tubes to make radios cheaper, sound better, use less power".
Nobody in the discussion so far seems to advocate burning down ratio stations, dismantling towers or to kill the presenters.

I have to agree with Sven that for (part time) contributors it's quite a learning curve diving into some of the code base which holdslots
of traps to falls into, also due to the lack of types and sometime also easy to grasp naming.
Also the syntax and general coding style has some influence. There are reasons other languages (e.g. Golang, Rust) have started with strict formatting and coding styles for the get go. It simply makes everything look similar. Lastly the compilers or interpreters don't care for these aspects. Common coding styles and tools are there to help us, the developers, to work more efficient, simply get more done without wasting time
on getting confused within the code base, introduce accidental (type related) bugs or bluntly apply different code formatting rules,
depending on which thing you are working on.

Regards

Christian