[Python-Dev] Alternative path suggestion

[Terry Reedy]

"Mike Orr" <sluggoster at gmail.com> wrote in message 
news:6e9196d20605040113x2a2d563ah23fabf02c49a0778 at mail.gmail.com...
> Intriguing idea, Noam, and excellent thinking.  I'd say it's worth a
> separate PEP.

I am glad to see this idea resurface and developed.  So +1 on an alternate 
PEP.

> The main difficulty with this approach is it's so radical.

Only locally.  Last July, I wrote the following for clp:

http://article.gmane.org/gmane.comp.python.general/412997
Subject: Re: PEP on path module for standard library
Date: 2005-07-22 18:47:00 GMT
"
 Very interesting.  Java's File class is a system-independent "abstract
representation of file and directory pathnames" which is constructed from 
and converted to system-dependent string-form pathnames (including URL/URI 
file:... forms).  A File consist of an optional prefix and a *sequence* of 
zero or more string names.

In other words, Java's File class is what Duncan and I thought Python's
Path class might or possibly should be.  So this internal representation
might be worth considering as an option.  Of course, if the interface is
done right, it mostly should not make too much difference to the user.
"
I believe a previous post gave the reference to the File doc, which might 
be worth consulting.  As I remember, the general response at that time was 
that the existing string-based path class was tried, useful, and well 
accepted, so why try anything more different.  That seems to have become 
clearer with time.

Terry Jan Reedy