[Python-Dev] Relative import

[Barry Warsaw]

On Mon, 2003-12-22 at 10:36, Guido van Rossum wrote:
> > I don't either, although my biggest problem with it is that it isn't
> > clear just by looking what the punctuation actually means.  I just
> > fear this will be a permanent head scratcher.
> 
> This argument by itself has very little value.  The question isn't
> whether it's self-describing (very few features beyond decimal
> integers are); the question is whether it's easy to remember.  There
> are two subclasses of that: easy to remember what it means when you
> next see it, and easy to remember how to spell it when you next need
> it.  IMO the dot syntax does fine here.

Sorry, it was a pre-coffee argument.  To me, the dot-syntax doesn't
really tell me whether it forces a relative search or an absolute
search.  The dot tells me that something different is happening, so
maybe when absolute is the default, it tells me there's a switch to
relative searching going on.  I'm not sure though, so I do think it may
potentially fail the "easy to remember what it means when you next see
it" test.  OTOH, it would be nice to see a Greg Wilson-style newbie
poll.

> > Here's my entry in the sure-to-be-shot-down-by-the-BDFL-alternative
> > -syntax game:
> 
> There have been so many alternatives proposed this morning that I have
> to spend some time comparing them all...

Hopefully, this stuff will make it into the PEP so you don't have to
troll through suggestions buried in endless email threads.

-Barry