[Python-Dev] netrc.py

[Eric S. Raymond]

Raymond Hettinger <raymond.hettinger@verizon.net>:
> Bram Moolenaar 
> > > Please at least do not produce the NetrcParseError when the
> > > "login" field is omitted.  This can be done by changing the
> > > "else:" above "malformed %s entry" to "elif not password:".
> > >  That is the minimal change to make this module work on my
> > > system.
> 
> Bram is requesting netrc.py be modified to exclude entries
> without a login field.  An example use case is for mail servers:
> 
>     machine mail          password fruit
> 
> If the change is made, the line won't be handled at all.  It
> would be silently skipped.  Currently is raises a NetrcParseError.
> 
> Do you guys think this is appropriate?  On the one hand,
> it's a bummer that netrc.py cannot currently be used with
> files containing these lines.  On the other hand, silently
> skipping over them doesn't seem quite right either.

As the original designer, I say -1.  It's not clear to me or when how entries
of this kind have value.  But I'm willing to be convinced otherwise by
a good argument.
-- 
		<a href="http://www.catb.org/~esr/">Eric S. Raymond</a>