[Python-Dev] [PEP 3148] futures - execute computations asynchronously

[Jesse Noller]

On Fri, Mar 5, 2010 at 11:56 AM,  <skip at pobox.com> wrote:
>    >>> import futures
>    >>
>    >> +1 on the idea, -1 on the name.  It's too similar to "from __future__ import
>    >> ...".
>
>    Jesse> Futures is a common term for this, and implemented named this in
>    Jesse> other languages. I don't think we should be adopting things that
>    Jesse> are common, and found elsewhere and then renaming them.
>
> Perhaps, but is it a common term for Python programmers (or the target
> population for Python)?  I've never heard of it.  "futures" to me are
> futures contracts in a trading environment (that's the industry I work in).
> No matter how well known the term is in the environment where it's used
> today you have to be sensitive to other meanings of the term.
>

It's a common programming term. I don't think we should make a new
name - I mean, how many different names for green threads / coroutines
or "flavors" of those concepts are out there because someone painted
the bike shed a different color? I mean, there's prior art here:

http://java.sun.com/javase/6/docs/api/java/util/concurrent/Future.html

jesse