You really wouldn't like Python or even stricter languages such as Scala or java, then. In Python, an attempt to access a nonexistent dictionary key will throw an exception which halts execution if not caught. (similar to calling a nonexistent method or function in PHP, but since PHP doesn't have a well-thought out exception system/std. lib as Python does, you can't catch anything in that situation in PHP).
In Python, if you're expecting a potentially missing key, you can just use dict.get('key') rather than dict['key']. The equivalent in PHP would be something like:
Being able to say "I expect a potentially nil value (and am okay with that)" via get() rather than array index is both semantically useful, and far more beautiful than the PHP equivalent.
Sure, or you can catch a KeyError and do something else entirely. I'm aware of all this, just pointing out some differences to the person to whom I replied.
Python's dict.get is a bit like the getOrElse found in Scala. It's quite handy and can be seen as advanced conceptually.
