On 25 October 2016 at 15:02, Stephen J. Turnbull <turnbull.stephen.fw@u.tsukuba.ac.jp> wrote:
I did. They are very persuasive ... up to the point where you ask for syntax for something that appears (now that you've done it, kudos!) to be perfectly do-able with a function.
This is an important point by the way. Ideas on this list typically start with proposals along the lines of "let's make X a builtin". Discussion tends to centre around whether X is sufficiently important to be built in - and the OP experiences a lot of pushback. That's natural - the bar for getting something into the stdlib is very high, for a builtin higher still, and for new syntax even higher. The fact that we *do* get proposals accepted is a testament to the high quality of some of the proposals. But it doesn't mean that everything warrants being accepted. The majority won't be. On the other hand, the *ideas* are really interesting and valuable. I'm certainly planning on looking at PyScanPrev when I get the chance. And the discussions can frequently make people rethink their beliefs. So people posting ideas here should expect pushback - and should be prepared to learn how to think about the wider context in which changes to Python need to exist. That pushback won't[1] be hostile or negative, although it can feel that way to newcomers. But if a poster is inclined to take challenges to their idea personally, and even more so if they respond negatively, things can get tense. So please don't :-) So, bringing this back on topic - Danilo, what is your justification for suggesting that this technique should be language syntax, as opposed to simply being a 3rd party module (which you've already written, which is great)? Do you know what sorts of things would be viewed as evidence in favour of promoting this to syntax, or can we help in clarifying the sort of evidence you'd need to collect? Are the relevant design guidelines (things like "there should be one obvious way to do it" that frequently get quoted around here without much explanation) clear to you, or do you have questions? Hopefully we can change your mind about how inviting you find us :-) Paul [1] With the occasional exception that we regret - we're only human, although we try to hold to high standards.