[Python-Dev] Is PEP 237 final -- Unifying Long Integers and Integers

[Thomas Heller]

Nick Coghlan <ncoghlan at gmail.com> writes:

> Gareth McCaughan wrote:
>> [Keith Dart:]
>>>By "normal" integer I mean the mathematical definition.
>> 
>> Then you aren't (to me) making sense. You were distinguishing
>> this from a unified int/long. So far as I can see, a unified int/long
>> type *does* implement (modulo implementation limits and bugs)
>> the "mathematical definition". What am I missing?
>
> Hmm, a 'mod_int' type might be an interesting concept (i.e. a type 
> that performs integer arithmetic, only each operation is carried out 
> modulo some integer).
>
> Then particular bit sizes would be simple ints, modulo the appropriate 
> power of two.

ctypes provides mutable platform integers and floats of various sizes
(and much more).  Currently they don't have any methods, only the value
attribute.  Maybe it would be useful to implement the standard numeric
methods on them.

Thomas