<br><div><span class="gmail_quote">On 4/26/06, <b class="gmail_sendername">Guido van Rossum</b> <<a href="mailto:guido@python.org">guido@python.org</a>> wrote:</span><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex;">
OK, forget it. I'll face the pitchforks.</blockquote><div><br>Maybe this'll help:<br><br><a href="http://python.org/sf/1477281">http://python.org/sf/1477281</a> <br><br>(You can call it 'oldtimer-repellant' if you want to use it to convince people there isn't any *real* backward-compatibility issue.)
<br></div><br><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex;">I'm disappointed though -- it sounds like we can never change anything<br>about Python any more because it will upset the oldtimers.
</blockquote><div><br>That's a bit unfair, Guido. There are valid reasons not to change Python's behaviour in this respect, regardless of upset old-timers. Besides, you're the BDFL; if you think the old-timers are wrong, I implore you to put their worries aside (after dutiful contemplation.) I've long since decided that any change what so ever will have activist luddites opposing it. I think most of them would stop when you make a clear decision -- how much whining have you had about the if-else syntax since you made the choice? I've heard lots of people gripe about it in private (at PyCon, of course, I never see Pythonistas anywhere else :-P), but I haven't seen any python-dev rants about it. I certainly hate PEP-308's guts, but if if-else is your decision, if-else is what we'll do. And so it is, I believe, with this case.
<br></div></div><br>-- <br>Thomas Wouters <<a href="mailto:thomas@python.org">thomas@python.org</a>><br><br>Hi! I'm a .signature virus! copy me into your .signature file to help me spread!