[Python-3000] Support for PEP 3131

[Steve Howell]

--- Josiah Carlson <jcarlson at uci.edu> wrote:
> 
> > I hate to make a decision by majority rule, but I
> > think there is the argument that you need to weigh
> the
> > population of ascii-literate people vs.
> > ascii-illiterate people. 
> 
> That's a very poor criteria, as not everyone in the
> world is a potential
> programmer (despite what the BASIC folks tried to
> do). 

I didn't think that I needed to call out the criteria
for both groups that potential Python programmers need
aptitude/desire to learn programming in general, but
of course you're correct.

> 
> Since the PEP does not discuss the localization of
> every name in the
> Python standard library (nor the builtins, __magic__
> methods, etc.),
> people are *still* going to need to learn the latin
> alphabet, at least
> as much to distinguish and use Python keywords,
> builtins, and the
> standard library.
> 

I agree with that 100%.  Unless you internationlize
Python completely for certain languages [1], I think
anybody coming to Py3K, even with PEP 3131 accepted, 
will still need first semester familiarity with
English, or at least an English-like language, to be
able to use Python effectively.

In certain parts of the United States we have the
concept of "restaurant Spanish"  that native English
speakers need to learn when they wait tables.  I think
there's something like "Python English" that you need
to learn to start writing Python, and it's a pretty
small subset of the whole language, but the alphabet's
a pretty key part of it.

Cheers,

Steve

[1] - ...but regarding fully internationalizing Python
in Asia, see this post from Ryan Ginstrom
(Japanese-to-English translator):

http://mail.python.org/pipermail/python-list/2007-June/443862.html





 
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