[Python-Dev] Adding socket timeout to urllib2

[Bill Janssen]

> 
>     Guido> Since "idel timeout" is not a commonly understood term it would
>     Guido> be even better if it was explained without using it.
> 
> I think it's commonly understood, but it doesn't mean what the socket
> timeout is used for.  It's how long a connection can be idle (the client
> doesn't make a request of the server) before the server will close the
> connection.  

Let me chime it to support Skip here.  "idle timeout" seems a really
bad name for the new timeout feature under discussion.  It's not about
idling; it's about how long you'll wait for something you're expecting
from the other end of the connection before assuming that something
has gone wrong over there (infinite loop, etc.) and aborting the
connection.  OTOH, "idling" is when the TCP connection exists, but
neither side wants anything from the other side.

If you really need a name other than "timeout" (which seems fine to
me), how about "waiting-with-mild-trepidation-timeout"?

Bill