[Doc-SIG] reserved characters

[Edward D. Loper]

> >      x = y*z
> > in their comments, and then later adding::
> >      I *like* multiplication
>
> well, the first one `should' be inside some sort of mark-up which will
> tell your parser that it's a chunk of python code; which suppresses the
> magic meaning of * so this shouldn't present a problem.  

I was mainly saying that we should say something like "'*' can only
be used as a delimiter for emph/strong, as a bullet, or within a
'literal' (or #inline#) region (or a blockquote, I guess).  Also,
all delimiters must be matched.  So the following string is not a
legal ST string::

   x*y

> well, hey, a doc-string is text and an interlude of python code (that's
> what a [list, of, items] is, right ?) should be quoted (well, marked up
> as being a chunk of python code). 

Yes.  But if we let them "get away" with not quoting it in special
circumstances (like the string "x*y"), then people will end up 
getting confused..

Not also that '[a, b, c]' is not always python code.  It's also
mathematical notation..  Same with 'x*y'.  But I don't see a problem
with requiring that mathematical notation be put in quotes 
(although that means people can't use symbols like #x'# in their
mathematical notation.. but I can live with that)

-Edward