[Python-Dev] the nature of the symbols in types

[Guido van Rossum]

> I suspect most of these uses could be replaced fairly easily by the
> authors of code that uses them, though it wouldn't be quite as
> automatic as for the common symbols.  Some could probably just be
> deleted.  anything that can just be gotten by calling type() might
> be a candidate.  For some, it should be fairly straightforward to
> add appropriate symbols to builtins.  'buffer', 'slice' and 'xrange'
> could be replaced by a callable type.  Others could be just
> non-callable objects that expose the various type objects.  Adding
> the obvious symbol for 'class' to builtins obviously wouldn't work.

Now these are things for which I'd like to see patches!  (And the
'string' common basetype.)

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