[Python-3000] symbols?

[Adam DePrince]

On Tue, 2006-04-11 at 12:11 +1200, Greg Ewing wrote:
> Kendall Clark wrote:
> 
> > One thing I'd really like to see in Python 3000 is support for first- 
> > class symbols, with literal syntax.
> 
> Actually I think enumerations would be more useful than
> symbols. There's no essential difference between a symbol
> and an interned string. The only real disadvantage to
> using strings as symbols is that you don't get an
> immediate NameError if you misspell one. A symbol type
> wouldn't solve that problem; enumerations would.

You can get all of the benefits of a symbol, including the immediate
spelling correction, by encouraging users to use module members instead
of string literals.  Drawing on the os as an example ... 

...
os.O_EXCL
os.O_LARGEFILE
...

I don't see the benefit.

> 
> --
> Greg
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