[Python-Dev] Re: Decimal data type issues

[Tim Peters]

[Batista, Facundo]
> You mean adding a method to the context, to create a Decimal using itself
> as context and not the one from the thread?

Yes.  This isn't novel:  all the operations are like that already.  For
example, Decimal.__abs__() is also available as Context.abs(decimal).  The
semantic difference is that the Decimal methods implicitly use the current
thread's current context object, while the Context methods (trivially) use
an explicitly specified context object.

> If yes, what about c.create_decimal(number) ?

I think the name's kinda wordy.  What else would a Decimal.Context object
want to create, other than a Decimal.Decimal?

> And with floats? c.create_decimal_from_float(number)? Or the same method
> that before?

I'd be happy with

    c.from_string(a_string)
    c.from_int(an_int_or_long) # and works identically to
                               # c.from_string(str(an_int_or_long))
    c.from_float(a_float)

I have no intention of creating Decimals from floats, so I didn't pay
attention to those arguments (other than to silently agree that the issues
involved are ugly enough that float->Decimal should have its own spelling --
if we have to have it at all).