In your version, we need to check the definition of 'condition', to see whether the 'x = 5' statement has any affects on its execution. The ternary won't assign

In your version, we need to check the definition of 'condition', to see whether the 'x = 5' statement has any affects on its execution. The ternary won't assign the variable until we know its value. Also, your version isn't safe to use with objects (e.g. 'myObject.x = ...'), since the initial assignment could trigger arbitrary code (properties, __setattr__, etc.). Also, your version isn't safe to use when the right-hand-side has effects, e.g. x = fetch_config_url() if remote else read_config_file()