[Python-Dev] What should a good type checker do? (was: Please reject or postpone PEP 526)

[Stephen J. Turnbull]

Please respect Reply-To, set to python-ideas.

Greg Ewing writes:
 > Chris Angelico wrote:
 > > Forcing people to write 1.0 just to be compatible with 1.5 will cause
 > > a lot of annoyance.
 > 
 > Indeed, this would be unacceptable IMO.

But "forcing" won't happen.  Just ignore the warning.  *All* such
Python programs will continue to run (or crash) exactly as if the type
declarations weren't there.  If you don't like the warning, either
don't run the typechecker, or change your code to placate it.

But allowing escapes from a typechecker means allowing escapes.  All
of them, not just the ones you or I have preapproved.  I want my
typechecker to be paranoid, and loud about it.

That doesn't mean I would never use a type like "Floatable" (ie, any
type subject to implicit conversion to float).  But in the original
example, I would probably placate the typechecker.  YMMV, of course.