[Python-Dev] Great Renaming? What is the goal?

[Ka-Ping Yee]

Hi, Peter.

Your question as to the purpose of module reorganization is
well worth asking, and perhaps we should stand back for a
while and try to really answer it well first.

I think that my answers for your question would be:

    1. To alleviate potential namespace collision.

    2. To permit talking about packages as a unit.

I hereby solicit other reasons from the rest of the group...

Reason #1 is not a serious problem yet, but i think i've
seen a few cases where it might start to be an issue.
Reason #2 has to do with things like assigning people
responsibility for taking care of a particular package,
or making commitments about which packages will be
available with which distributions or platforms.  Hence,
for example, the idea of the "unix" package.

Neither of these reasons necessitate a deep and holy
hierarchy, so we certainly want to keep it shallow and
simple if we're going to do this at all.

> If the result of this renaming initiative will be that I can't use
> 	import sys, os, time, re, struct, cPickle, parser
> 	import Tkinter; Tk=Tkinter; del Tkinter
> anymore in Python 1.x and instead I have to change this into (for example):
> 	form posix import time
> 	from text import re
> 	from bin import struct
> 	from Python import parser
> 	from ui import Tkinter; ...

Won't

    import sys, os, time.time, text.re, bin.struct, data.pickle, python.parser

also work?  ...i hope?

> The library documentation provides a existing logical subdivision into 
> chapters, which group the library into several kinds of services.  
> IMO this subdivision could be discussed and possibly revised.  
> But at the moment I got the impression, that it was simply ignored.  
> Why?  What's so bad with it?  

I did look at the documentation for some guidance in arranging
the modules, though admittedly it didn't direct me much.



-- ?!ng

"In the sciences, we are now uniquely privileged to sit side by side
with the giants on whose shoulders we stand."
    -- Gerald Holton