[Python-Dev] gethostbyname2

[Guido van Rossum]

> The IPv6 patch proposes to introduce a new socket function,
> socket.gethostbyname2(name, af). This becomes necessary as a name
> might have both an IPv4 and an IPv6 address.
> 
> One alternative for providing such API is to get socket.gethostbyname
> an optional second argument (the address family). itojun's rationale
> for calling it gethostbyname2 is that the C API, as defined in RFC
> 2133.
> 
> Which of these alternatives would you prefer?

Definitely an optional 2nd arg to gethostbyname() -- in C, you can't
do tht, so they *had* to create a new function, but Python is more
flexible.

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