[Python-Dev] Re: Simulating shells (was Re: Changing the Division Operator -- PEP 238, rev 1.12)

[Michael Hudson]

Paul Prescod <paulp@ActiveState.com> writes:

> Michael Hudson wrote:
> > 
> >...
> > 
> > At one point I was going to use the same bits as are used in the
> > code.co_flags field, which was probably where the bitfield idea
> > originated.
> > 
> > By "keyword arguments" do you mean e.g:
> > 
> >    compile(source, file, start_symbol, generators=1, division=0)
> > 
> > ?  I think that would be mildly painful for the one use I had in mind
> > (the additions to codeop), and also mildly painful to implement.
> 
> Sorry, could you elaborate on why this is painful to use and implement?

Well, I don't know in detail how keyword arguments work from the C
side.  Your suggestion turns a roughly 4 line change I knew exactly
how to do into a 20-30 line change I'd have to work on.  I only said
"mildly painful".  The awkwardness of use would just mean using **,
yes.

> Considering the availability of **args, the code above looks to me like
> syntactic sugar for the code below:
> 
> >    compile(source, file, start_symbol, {'generators':1, 'division':0})

Well yes, but I think the latter is closer to what one means, which is
to say passing a (i.e. one) set of options.

> > would be better from my point of view.  I think this is a bit of a
> > propeller-heads-only feature, to be honest, so I'm not that inclined
> > to worry aobut the API.
> 
> I would just like to see an end to the convention of using bitfields in
> Python everywhere. You're just my latest target.

Fair enough.  I've probably been corrupted by C on this one.

> Python is not a really great bit-manipulation language!

<aside>Augmented assignment helps a *lot* here!</aside>

At any rate, the fact that I'd temporarily forgotten about the
existence of Jython is the more serious blunder...

Cheers,
M.

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