[Python-3000] PEP: Supporting Non-ASCII Identifiers

[Robert Brewer]

Martin v. Löwis wrote:
> Subject: [Python-3000] PEP: Supporting Non-ASCII Identifiers
> 
> Common Objections
> =================
> 
> People claim that they will not be able to use a library if to do so
> they have to use characters they cannot type on their
> keyboards. However, it is the choice of the designer of the library to
> decide on various constraints for using the library: people may not be
> able to use the library because they cannot get physical access to the
> source code (because it is not published), or because licensing
> prohibits usage, or because the documentation is in a language they
> cannot understand. A developer wishing to make a library widely
> available needs to make a number of explicit choices (such as
> publication, licensing, language of documentation, and language of
> identifiers). It should always be the choice of the author to make
> these decisions - not the choice of the language designers.

That seems true when each such decision is considered in isolation. But the language designers are responsible to make sure the number of such explicit decisions/choices does not grow beyond a reasonable limit.


Robert Brewer
System Architect
Amor Ministries
fumanchu at amor.org