[Python-Dev] Two random and nearly unrelated ideas

[Guido van Rossum]

> While adding a blurb to Misc/NEWS about the change to the thread
> ticker and check interval, it occurred to me that perhaps Misc/NEWS
> would benefit from conversion to ReST format.  You could pump an
> HTML version out to the website periodically.

Nice idea.  How much additional mark-up would this add to quote the
occasional reST meta-character?  Can you convert a section for test
and show me?

> Second (also considered during the above edit), it would be nice to
> get rid of the ticker altogether in systems with proper signal
> support.  On those platforms couldn't an alarm replace polling for
> the ticker?  I know signals are tricky devils, but it still seems it
> would be a win if you could use it.  You'd have to install a SIGALRM
> handler which would trip periodically.  It would also have to keep
> track of any alarm handler the programmer installed.

-1,000,000.

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