[Edu-sig] More re Cross-pollinating Python with other Cool Languages

[Kirby Urner]

At 10:16 PM 9/23/2002 -0400, Guido van Rossum wrote:
> > (1j)^10 is an unsupported operand type for ^
> >
> > yet pow(1j,10) is just fine.  Why not have ^ invoke pow internally,
> > if pow is more able to manage complex arguments?
>
>Because ^ means xor in Python, ** is power. :-)

Oh yeah... (duh...)

> > Anyway, the idea wanted to underline was the coolness of
> > letting 1r2 mean 1/2 -- it's a primitive number, like 1e10,
> > not a 'string' result of repr().  If Python ever incorporates
> > a rational number type at the primitive level, I wonder if
> > this'd be a way to go. [etc.]
>
>This is the subject of two PEPs, PEP 239 and 240.  I hear that a new
>author is taking over editing, so maybe you'll find a willing ear
>there.

Thanks for the pointer.

Kirby