[Python-Dev] a slightly more coherent case

[gvwilson@nevex.com]

Hi, Fred; thanks for your mail.

> gvwilson@nevex.com writes:
>  > 1. If P3K source is allowed to be Unicode
> I don't recall any requirement that the host be able to deal with
> Unicode specially (meaning "other than as binary data").  Perhaps I
> missed that?

I'm sorry, I didn't mean to imply that this decision had been taken ---
hence the "if".  However, allowing Unicode in source doesn't seem to have
slowed down adoption of Java... :-)

> I don't think the division sign itself is a problem.  Re-training
> experianced programmers might be; I don't think there's any intention
> of alienating that audience.

I think this comes down to spin.  If this is presented as, "We're adding a
symbol that isn't on your keyboard in order to help newbies," it'll be
flamed.  If it's presented as, "Python is the first scripting language to
fully embrace internationalization, so get with the twenty-first century!"
(or something like that), I could see it getting a much more positive
response.

I also think that, despite their grumbling, experienced programmers are
pretty adaptable.  After all, I switch from Emacs Lisp to Python to C++
half-a-dozen times a day... :-)

> The *biggest* problem (IMO) is that the runes are not on our
> keyboards.

Agreed.  Perhaps non-native English speakers could pitch in and describe
how easy/difficult it is for them to (for example) put properly-accented
Spanish comments in code?

Thanks,
Greg