[Python-Dev] Re: PEP 285: Adding a bool type
Ka-Ping Yee
ping@lfw.org
Wed, 3 Apr 2002 16:53:55 -0600 (CST)
Guido van Rossum wrote:
> False and True are numbers [...]
That's exactly where this falls down.
Patrick O'Brien wrote:
> [...] True and False could be dictionary keys separate from 0 and 1.
Guido van Rossum wrote:
> No. That would break backwards compatibility. False==0, and True==1;
> everything else follows from that. (But False is not 0, and True is
> not 1!)
This is a strange distinction to make -- one that is not made in any
other programming language i have ever encountered. Of course *i* get
it and *you* get it -- but it will be so hard to teach this particular
weirdness that i consider it fatal to the proposal.
-- ?!ng