[Python-Dev] PEP 292: method names

[Barry Warsaw]

On Mon, 2004-09-13 at 12:16, Erik Heneryd wrote:

> Well, even if it's trivial, I still think the out-of-the-box API 
> shouldn't be hostile against frequent use.  

It's no more hostile than os.path.splitext or KeyboardInterrupt <wink>. 
Seriously, although Python does use abbreviations sometimes, I
personally think that doing so can create ambiguity and can cause
problems for non-native English speakers.  Python is not Unix.  Besides,
don't most editors and IDEs provide completion these days?

> Subclassing just to get a 
> decent name/operator feels stupid.  Why not __mod__ = safe_substitute 
> per default then?

Because I don't know which version will be more generally preferred by
application authors and in the face of ambiguity I refuse the temptation
to guess.  (I know which version my own applications will prefer but I
think you're the same person arguing that my own needs shouldn't drive
all decisions.)

-Barry

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