[Python-3000] Conventions for annotation consumers (was: Re: Draft pre-PEP: function annotations)

[Collin Winter]

On 8/15/06, Paul Prescod <paul at prescod.net> wrote:
> I totally do not understand the requirement for the dictionary and its extra
> overhead.

Under your proposal, annotation consumer libraries have to provide
wrappers for Python's built-in types, since the only way a library has
of knowing whether it should process a given object is by applying a
subclass test.

Extending this same idea to static analysis tools, tools like
pychecker or an optimising compiler would have to supply their own
such wrapper classes. This would be a huge burden, not just on the
authors of such tools, but also on those wishing to use these tools.

I want people to be able to use Python's built-in types without ugly
wrapper classes or any other similar impediments to their pre-existing
Python workflow/thought patterns.

Collin Winter