[Python-Dev] unifying os.rename semantics across platform

[Greg Ward]

On 22 May 2001, Guido van Rossum said:
> I would prefer to document the difference so applications can decide
> how to deal with this.

I agree -- it has always seemed to me that the standard library merely
exposes the underlying OS functionality for you.  This puts portability
somewhat in the hands of the application writer -- with power comes
responsibility.  I think that's the way it should be; any attempt to
convert OS A to the semantics of OS B will fall down somewhere.  Witness
the loss-of-atomicity in Guido's example.  I'm sure any other semantic
difference between OSes would have similar "gotchas" if we attempted to
paper over them.

        Greg
-- 
Greg Ward - just another Python hacker                  gward@python.net
http://starship.python.net/~gward/
Beware of altruism.  It is based on self-deception, the root of all evil.