[Python-ideas] Name mangling removal ?

[Steven D'Aprano]

Guido van Rossum wrote:

 > E.g. consider person A who writes a library containing a class
> A, and person B who writes an application with a class B that
> subclasses A. Let's say B needs to add new instance variables, and
> wants to be "future-proof" against newer versions of A that might add
> instance variables too. Using name-mangled variables gives B a
> "namespace" of his own (_B__*), so he doesn't have to worry about
> clashes between attribute names he chooses now and attribute names
> that A might choose in the future. Without name-mangling, B would have
> to worry that A could add private variables with clashing names as
> well -- in fact, the presence of any private variables in A would have
> to be documented in order to ensure that subclasses wouldn't
> accidentally clash with them, defeating the whole purpose of private.


Just for completeness sake, I'll point out that there is still a 
possible name clash using name-mangling: if you subclass B, and 
inadvertently name your subclass A (or any other superclass of B), then 
your __names may clash with A's __names.

I don't particularly like name-mangling, but I don't see it is a large 
enough problem that it needs to be removed, particularly in the absence 
of any viable alternative.


-- 
Steven