6) Should array properties be accessible as public attributes instead of through accessor methods?

We don't currently allow public array attributes to make the Python code simpler and faster (otherwise we will be forced to use __setattr__ and such). This results in incompatibilty with previous code that uses such attributes.

I prefer the use of public attributes over accessor methods.

-- Paul Barrett, PhD Space Telescope Science Institute

The issue of efficiency may not be a problem with Python 2.2 or later since it provides new mechanisms that avoid the need to use __setattr__ to solve this problem. (e.g. __slots__, property, __get__, and __set__). So it becomes more of an issue of which style people prefer rather than simplicity and speed of the code. Perry