[Python-Dev] python-dev Summary for 2005-03-16 through 2005-03-31 [draft]

Fri Apr 1 11:39:01 CEST 2005

OK, so here is my final Summary.  Like to send it out some time this weekend so
please get corrections in ASAP.

--------------------------------

=====================
Summary Announcements
=====================

---------------
My last summary
---------------
So, after nearly 2.5 years, this is my final python-dev Summary.  Steve
Bethard, Tim Lesher, and Tony Meyer will be taking over for me starting with
the April 1 - April 15 summary (and no, this is not an elaborate April Fool's).
 I have learned a ton during my time doing the Summaries and I appreciate
python-dev allowing me to do them all this time.  Hopefully I will be able to
contribute more now in a programming capacity thanks to having more free time.

--------------------
PyCon was fantastic!
--------------------
For those of you who missed PyCon, you missed a great one!  It is actually my
favorite PyCon to date.  Already looking forward to next year.

--------------------
Python fireside chat
--------------------
Scott David Daniels requested a short little blurb from me expounding on my
thoughts on Python.  Not one to pass on an opportunity to just open myself and
possibly shoot myself in the foot, I figured I would take up the idea.  So hear
we go.

First, I suspect Python 3000 stuff will start to make its way into Python.
Stuff that doesn't break backwards compatibility will most likely start to be
implemented as we head toward the Python 2.9 barrier (Guido has stated several
times that there will never be a Python 2.10).  Things that are not
backwards-compatible will most likely end up being hashed out in various PEPs.
 All of this will allow the features in Python 3000 to be worked in over time
so there is not a huge culture shock.

As for things behind the scenes, work on the back-end will move forward.  Guido
himself has suggested that JIT work should be looked into (according to an
interview at http://www.devsource.com/article2/0,1759,1778272,00.asp).  I know
I plan to fiddle with the back-end to see if the compiler can be made to do
more work.

Otherwise I expect changes to be made, flame wars to come and go, and for
someone else to write the python-dev Summaries.  =)

=========
Summaries
=========

----------------
Python 2.4.1 out
----------------
Anthony Baxter, on behalf of python-dev, has released `Python 2.4.1`_.

.. _Python 2.4.1: http://www.python.org/2.4.1/

Contributing threads:
  - `RELEASED Python 2.4.1, release candidate 1
<http://mail.python.org/pipermail/python-dev/2005-March/051992.html>`__
  - `RELEASED Python 2.4.1, release candidate 2
<http://mail.python.org/pipermail/python-dev/2005-March/052270.html>`__
  - `BRANCH FREEZE for 2.4.1 final, 2005-03-30 00:00 UTC
<http://mail.python.org/pipermail/python-dev/2005-March/052444.html>`__
  - `RELEASED Python 2.4.1 (final)
<http://mail.python.org/pipermail/python-dev/2005-March/052467.html>`__

-----------------
AST branch update
-----------------
I, along with some other people, sprinted on the AST branch at PyCon.  This led
to a much more fleshed out design document (found in Python/compile.txt in the
AST branch), the ability to build on Windows, and applying Nick Coghlan's fix
for hex numbers.

Nick also did some more patch work and asked how AST work should be tagged.
There is now an AST category on SourceForge that people should use to flag
things as for the AST.  They should also, by default, assign such items to me
("bcannon" on SF).  We have also taken to flagging threads on the AST with
"[AST]" as the first item in the subject line.

There was also a slight discussion/clarification on the functions named
marshal_write_*() that output a byte format for the AST that is supposed to be
agnostic of implementation.  This will most likely end up being used as the way
to pass AST objects back and forth between C and Python code.  But with the
name collision of the word "marshal" with the actual 'marshal' module, it needs
to be changed.  I have suggested

- byte_encode
- linear_form
- zephyr_encoding
- flat_form
- flat_prefix
- prefix_form

while Nick Coghlan suggsted

- linear_ast
- bytestream_ast

Obviously I prefer "form" and Nick prefers "ast".  With Nick's reply being
independent of mine it will most likely have "linear" or "byte" in the name.

With the patches for descriptors and generator expressions sitting on SF,
syntactic support for all of Python 2.4 should get applied shortly.  After that
it will come down to bug hunting and such.  There is a todo list in the design
doc for those interested in helping out.

Contributing threads:
  - `Procedure for AST Branch patches
<http://mail.python.org/pipermail/python-dev/2005-March/052308.html>`__
  - `[AST] A somewhat less trivial patch than the last one. . .
<http://mail.python.org/pipermail/python-dev/2005-March/052336.html>`__
  - `[AST] question about marshal_write_*() fxns
<http://mail.python.org/pipermail/python-dev/2005-March/052340.html>`__

-------------------------------------------------------
Putting docstrings before function declarations is ugly
-------------------------------------------------------
The idea of moving docstrings after a 'def' was proposed, making it like most
other practices in other languages.  But very quickly people spoke up against
the suggestion.  A main argument was people just like the current way much
better.  I personally like the style so much that even in my C code I put the
comment for all functions after the first curly brace, indented to match the
flow of code.

There was also an issue of ambiguity.  How do you tell where the docstring for
a module is when there is a function definition with a comment right after?::

  """Module doc"""

  """Fxn doc"""
  def foo(): pass

There is an ambiguity there thanks to constant string concatenation.

In the end no one seemed to like the idea.

Contributing threads:
  - `docstring before function declaration
<http://mail.python.org/pipermail/python-dev/2005-March/052406.html>`__

-------------------------------------------
PyPI improvements thanks to PyCon sprinting
-------------------------------------------
Thanks to the hard work of Richard Jones, "Fred Drake, Sean Reifschneider,
Martin v. Löwis, Mick Twomey, John Camara, Andy Harrington, Andrew Kuchling,
David Goodger and Ian Bicking (with Barry Warsaw in a supporting role)"
accordinng to Richard, there are a bunch of new features to PyPI_ (pronounced
"pippy" to prevent name clashes with PyPy).  These improvements include using
reST_ for descriptions, a new 'upload' feature for Distutils (requires Python
2.5), ability to sign releases using OpenPGP (requires Python 2.5), metadata
fields are now expected to be UTF-8 encoded, interface cleanup, and saner URLs
for projects (e.g., http://www.python.org/pypi/roundup/0.8.2).

.. _PyPI: http://www.python.org/pypi/

Contributing threads:
  - `New PyPI broken package editing
<http://mail.python.org/pipermail/python-dev/2005-March/052360.html>`__
  - `Re: python/dist/src/Lib/distutils/command upload.py, 1.3, 1.4
<http://mail.python.org/pipermail/python-dev/2005-March/052362.html>`__

-------------------------------
Decorators for class statements
-------------------------------
The desire to have decorators applied to class statements was brought up once
again.  Guido quickly responded, though, stating that unless a compelling use
case that showed them much more useful than metaclasses it just would not happen.

Contributing threads:
  - `@decoration of classes
<http://mail.python.org/pipermail/python-dev/2005-March/052369.html>`__

===============
Skipped Threads
===============
+ itertools.walk()
+ Problems with definition of _POSIX_C_SOURCE
+ thread semantics for file objects
    Assume nothing is thread-safe
+ Draft PEP to make file objects support non-blocking mode.
+ Faster Set.discard() method?
+ __metaclass__ problem
+ Example workaround classes for using Unicode with csv module...
+ Change 'env var BROWSER override' semantics in webbrowser.py
+ bdist_deb checkin comments
+ Python 2.4 | 7.3 The for statement
+ Patch review: all webbrowser.py related patches up to	2005-03-20
+ webbrowser.py: browser >/dev/null 2>&1
+ C API for the bool type?
+ Shorthand for lambda
+ FYI: news items about Burton Report on P-languages
+ using SCons to build Python
+ 64-bit sequence and buffer protocol
+ Pickling instances of nested classes
+ python.org/sf URLs aren't working?