[Python-Dev] classmethod() and staticmethod()

[Guido van Rossum]

> I'm very happy with the design for type-class unification -- it looks
> like an excellent move towards making Python more consistent and flexible.

Thanks!

> However, the mechanism for declaring class and static methods:
> 
>     class MyClass:
>         def method(x, y):                      # part 1
>             ...
> 
>         method = staticmethod(method)          # part 2
> 
> ...sticks out as awkward and strange to read.  Kevin Smith and Paul
> Prescod commented earlier on this, and i agree with their opinion that
> a more direct declaration would be a better way to do this.

Understood, and agreed.  It is my plan to eventually provide syntax
for this.  However, right now I need to concentrate on getting the
underlying mechanisms to work.  The unification is a lot of work, and
I'd like to finish the run-time before I start thinking about
syntactic sugar.  I can't promise that I'll change the syntax before
2.2 is released -- there will be plenty of time after that, and there
are plenty of more important things to do before I can make the
release.

--Guido van Rossum (home page: http://www.python.org/~guido/)