[Python-Dev] PEP 3144 ipaddr module (was Re: PEP 408 -- Standard library __preview__ package)

[Stephen J. Turnbull]

Nick Coghlan writes:

 >     1. Draft ReStructuredText documentation for inclusion in the stdlib docs
 > 
 > (still needed)

No wonder people (not directly involved in development of the module)
think that the proponents don't care!  What good is a battery if the
odds are even that you will hook it up with wrong polarity and fry
your expensive components?

I don't mean to criticize the proponents and mentors of *this* PEP; I
recall the ipaddr vs. netaddr discussions, and clearly the API needed
and got a lot of changes.  That's definitely a chilling factor for
writing a second document that largely covers the same material as the
PEP.  On the other hand, people who are not battery manufacturers have
every right to use stdlib-ready documentation as a litmus test for
readiness (and even if you think otherwise, you can't stop them).

While you probably won't get a lot of comments from those people if
you publish such docs, if you don't publish docs, you will get none.

I suggest emphasizing (in the 408bis PEP that Nick suggested) the
importance of documentation in convincing the "just users" audience
(which is the one that stdlib is really aimed at) of the value and
readiness of a module proposed for stdlib integration.