[Python-3000] Conservative Defaults (was: Re: Support for PEP 3131)

[BJörn Lindqvist]

> Those most eager for unicode identifiers are afraid that people
> (particularly beginning students) won't be able to use local-script
> identifiers, unless it is the default.  My feeling is that the teacher
> (or the person who pointed them to python) can change the default on a
> per-install basis, since it can be a one-time change.

What if the person discovers Python by him/herself?

> On the other hand, if "anything from *any* script" becomes the
> default, even on a single widespread distribution, then the community
> starts to splinter in a new way.  It starts to separate between people
> who distribute source code (generally ASCII) and people who are
> effectively distributing binaries (not for human end-users to read).

That is FUD.

> Hopefully, I can set my own python to enforce ASCII IDs (rather than
> ASCII strings and comments).  But if too many people start to assume
> that distributed code can freely mix other scripts, I'll start to get
> random failures.  I'll probably allow Latin-1.  I might end up
> allowing a few other scripts -- but then how should I say "script X or
> script Y; not both"?  Keeping the default at ASCII for another release
> or two will provide another release or two to answer this question.

Answer what question? If people will use the feature? Ofcourse they
won't if it isn't default.

> > ... Java, ... don't hear constant complaints
>
> They aren't actually a problem because they aren't used; they aren't
> used because almost no one knows about them.  Python would presumably
> advertise the feature, and see more use.  (We shouldn't add it at all
> *unless* we expect much more usage than unicode IDs have seen in other
> programming languages.)

Every Swedish book I've read about Java (only 2) mentioned that feature.

> The same one-step-at-a-time reasoning applies to unicode identifers.
> Allowing IDs in your native language (or others that you explicitly
> approve) is probably a good step.  Allowing IDs in *any* language by
> default is probably going too far.

If you set different native languages won't you get the exact same
problems that codepages caused and that unicode was invented to solve?

-- 
mvh Björn