[Python-Dev] Thoughts fresh after EuroPython

[Nick Coghlan]

On Sun, Jul 25, 2010 at 2:16 PM, Steven D'Aprano <steve at pearwood.info> wrote:
> On Sun, 25 Jul 2010 10:04:57 am Steve Holden wrote:
>> > - After seeing Raymond's talk about monocle (search for it on PyPI)
>> > I am getting excited again about PEP 380 (yield from, return values
>> > from generators). Having read the PEP on the plane back home I
>> > didn't see anything wrong with it, so it could just be accepted in
>> > its current form. Implementation will still have to wait for Python
>> > 3.3 because of the moratorium. (Although I wouldn't mind making an
>> > exception to get it into 3.2.)
>>
>> I can understand the temptation, but hope you can manage to resist
>> it.
>>
>> The downside of allowing such exceptions is that people won't take
>> these pronouncements seriously if they see that a sufficiently
>> desirable goal is a reason for ignoring them. Everyone should be
>> subject to the same rules.
>
>
> I have no opinion on PEP 380 specifically, but surely a *sufficiently*
> desirable goal *should* be a reason for breaking the rules? Obedience
> to some abstract rule just because it is the rule is not a virtue. The
> moratorium is there to advance Python as a whole, and if (a big "if")
> it becomes a hindrance instead, then Guido should make an exception.
>
> I promise that I won't cease taking his pronouncements seriously if he
> does :)

We knew PEP 380 would be hurt by the moratorium when the moratorium
PEP went through.

The goals of the moratorium itself, in making it possible to have a
3.2 release that is fully supported by all of the major Python
implementations, still apply, and I believe making an exception for
PEP 380 *would* make those goals much harder to achieve.

So, while I can understand Guido's temptation (PEP 380 *is* pretty
cool), I'm among those that hope he resists that temptation. Letting
these various ideas bake a little longer without syntactic support
likely won't hurt either.

Cheers,
Nick.

-- 
Nick Coghlan   |   ncoghlan at gmail.com   |   Brisbane, Australia