From: Alex Martelli [mailto:aleax@aleax.it]

if the name binding is either forbidden or mandatory (i.e. too hard to make optional), C++ has it right here -- mandatory is better than forbidden.

The current proto-PEP (not yet published) still has it forbidden, but optional is noted as a strong contender (especially now that someone pointed out how to make optional work). I'm now happy to go with either optional or forbidden (I'm still not keen on mandatory). If you can convince Michael Hudson to change his view, we'll make it optional... Of course, Guido's opinion trumps everyone else's :-) Paul.