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<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>After re-reading previous posts on the subject, I had an
idea.<span style='mso-spacerun:yes'> </span>Let’s isolate these
functions in the documentation into a separate section following the rest of
the <span class=SpellE>builtins</span>.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>The cost of having these <span class=SpellE>builtins</span>
is not that they take up a few entries in the directory listing. <span
style='mso-spacerun:yes'> </span>Also, it’s no real burden to leave
them in the code base.<span style='mso-spacerun:yes'> </span>The real
cost is that when learning the language, after reading the tutorial, the next
step is to make sure you know what all the <span class=SpellE>builtins</span>
do before moving on to study the library offerings. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>The problem with <span class=GramE>buffer(</span>) and
intern() is not that they are totally useless.<span
style='mso-spacerun:yes'> </span>The problem is that it that it is darned
difficult an everyday user to invent productive use cases.<span
style='mso-spacerun:yes'> </span>Here on python-dev, one defender arose
for each and said that they once had a use for them.<span
style='mso-spacerun:yes'> </span>So, let’s leave the functionality
intact and just move it off the list of things you need to know.<span
style='mso-spacerun:yes'> </span>In both cases, it would have saved me
some hours spent trying to figure out what they were good for – I wish
someone had just said, “<span class=GramE>you</span> can ignore these two”.
These functions are just <span class=SpellE>distractors</span> in a person’s
mental concept space.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>There’s really nothing wrong with have <span
class=GramE>apply(</span>) and coerce() being supported for old code.<span
style='mso-spacerun:yes'> </span>The problem with them is why bother even
knowing that they exist – they just don’t figure into modern python
code. <span style='mso-spacerun:yes'> </span>Any time spent learning them
now is time that could have been spent learning about the copy or pickle modules
or some such.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>Moving these functions to a separate section sends a clear
message to trainers and book writers that it is okay to skip these topics. Getting
them out of the critical path for learning python will make the language even
easier to master.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>Some are highly resistant to deprecation because it makes
their lives more difficult.<span style='mso-spacerun:yes'>
</span>However, I think even they would like a list of “things you just
don’t need to know anymore”.<span style='mso-spacerun:yes'>
</span>In other words, you don’t have to wait for Py3.0 for a clean
house, just push all the clutter in a corner and walk around it.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>‘<span class=SpellE><span class=GramE>nuff</span></span>
said,<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><st1:PersonName><font size=2 face=Arial><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'>Raymond Hettinger</span></font></st1:PersonName><font
size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
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