[Python-Dev] Advice in stat.py

[Tim Peters]

[Fred L. Drake, Jr., on import *]
>   If Guido will back off on saying that it's acceptable to use it that
> way, I can assure you the docs will be corrected.  But if he's still
> advocating that usage (silly Dutchman), I don't think I should touch
> it.
>   Even if it is silly.

Guido never advocates it, but you're not going to get him to say it's Evil
either.  The thing is, an intelligent adult can use import-* profitably and
safely, in the handful of cases an intelligent adult realizes it's
profitable and safe to do so <wink>.

When Jeremy played w/ "import *"-inside-functions wngs, most popped up in
Guido's code.  This was most often

    from Tkinter import *

in a module's _test() function, where doing so was handy amd harmless.

I never use it myself -- but then I never write Tkinter code, and "stat" is
some Unix abomination <wink>.

It couldn't hurt to add an "intelligent adult" warning to the docs!  I
suggest an icon showing a refined English lady trying hard not to notice a
West Virginian next to her picking his nose.

perfect-images-are-too-rare-to-pass-up-ly y'rs  - tim