[Python-Dev] Re: Dangerous exceptions (was Re: Another test_compilermystery)

[Jeremy Hylton]

On Mon, 6 Sep 2004 09:44:12 +0200, Fredrik Lundh <fredrik at pythonware.com> wrote:
> Jeremy Hylton wrote:
> 
> > The current exception hierarchy isn't too far from what you suggest.
> > We just got the names wrong.  That is, there is a base class,
> > StandardException, that captures most exceptions other than
> > MemoryError, SystemError, and KeyboardInterrupt.  If we renamed that
> > Exception, then we'd be 90% of the way there.  You could also change
> > your code, right now, to say "except StandardError:" and avoid the
> > problem entirely.
> 
> when was that changed?

I misread the very long output of pydoc exceptions :-).  I don't
understand the hierarchy, either, or I would have noticed that the
results don't make sense.  Why isn't StopIteration a StandardError?

I'll second Tim's suggestion that some errors -- like SystemError,
MemoryError, and KeyboardInterrupt belong in a different category.  I
think it would be easier in principle to put them at a different place
in the class hierarchy than to make them some special kind of
uncatchable exception.

Jeremy