[Python-Dev] _socket efficiencies ideas

[Guido van Rossum]

> The basic question is: should Python automatically recognize numeric
> addresses, or should the application have a way to indicate a numeric 
> address?

It should be automatically recognized.  Python has always done this
(until 2.1 at least).  I don't think there is any ambiguity; AFAIK
it's not possible to put something in the DNS so that an all-numeric
address gets remapped (that would be a nasty security problem waiting
to happen).

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