[Python-Dev] Breaking undocumented API

[exarkun at twistedmatrix.com]

On 05:21 pm, fuzzyman at voidspace.org.uk wrote:
>On 16/11/2010 17:16, 1ukasz Langa wrote:
>>Am 16.11.2010 18:06, schrieb Antoine Pitrou:
>>>On Tue, 16 Nov 2010 16:34:54 -0000
>>>exarkun at twistedmatrix.com wrote:
>>>>Imagine trying to use a dictionary without knowing about 
>>>>alphabetical
>>>>ordering.
>>>You mean an ordered dictionary, right?
>>
>>He meant the ones with actual paper pages.
>
>But given that we are particularly talking about how to handle 
>undocumented APIs, a more apropos comparison would be to ask how 
>dictionary readers are supposed to look up words that aren't in the 
>dictionary...

No, this isn't an appropriate comparison.  The dictionary was an example 
of something that presents information but is very hard to use without 
knowing the rules.

We're not talking about undocumented APIs.  We're talking about APIs 
that are documented somewhere other than in the library manual.

Jean-Paul