[Python-Dev] urllib.urlretrieve() and handling 550 errors when reading from FTP

[Brett C.]

Bug #635453 reports that when you use urllib.urlretrieve() to read from 
an FTP server and the file you are trying to get does not have the 
proper permissions for you, you are given a listing of the directory 
instead of an exception (this is all done by Lib/urllib.py:752).

Now this doesn't make sense to me and I suspect most people would agree. 
  But having that explicit line there on top of it having been in the 
file since it was renamed from urlopen way backin 1994 makes me hesitate 
before I delete the line.

Anyone have issues if I ditch the line so an exception is raised instead 
of getting a directory listing instead?

-Brett