[Paul F Dubois]
We had put off consideration of PEP 242 Numeric kinds until June 2002 when a meeting of some interested parties was to occur but the meeting didn't occur. I have a draft implementation and users of it but my feeling is that although correct and useful the PEP is not useful enough to put it in the standard library. Since it really only interests scientific programmers I propose simply making it a separate deliverable on the Numeric site and withdrawing the PEP.
I say add it. If there are already users out there then that demonstrates as least some form of a demand.
Besides, if rationals can get into the library (that module was finally accepted to be added to the library, right?) then a module to help do consistent decimal math should at least be included at least until the Python core can move to C99 (if I am remembering a comment from Tim saying that C99 adds more explicit numeric types, e.g., exactly 2 byte float).
I just want to be able to add up a bunch of money values and not have a few pennies disappear in the end; usually I am the one who has to eat the loss and I am an poor college graduate who can't afford the rounding. =)
-Brett