[Python-ideas] print in the interactive interpreter? plus shell API idea

[Guido van Rossum]

On Sun, Jul 6, 2008 at 12:02 AM, Roman Susi <rnd at onego.ru> wrote:
> Well, my point which was completely ignored (maybe due to too lengthy
> explanation) is that the shell could be smarter beyond readline and that
> shell to interpreter protocol may be a well-defined API, specifying
> "main course" (Python commands) as well introspection features.

I hear you, and I reject the feature request. This is a good area for
3rd party development -- e.g. ipython is currently the market leader.

However, for the built-in interactive command line, I want there to be
as little as possible difference with the language as accepted in
modules. Any time you have a shortcut that works in interactive mode,
somebody just learning the language is going to try it in a module and
be very confused that it doesn't work. Clearly line editing operations
are exempt from this argumentation, but I strongly dislike adding
shortcuts like '?' for this reason.

-- 
--Guido van Rossum (home page: http://www.python.org/~guido/)