[Python-ideas] Rough draft: Proposed format specifier for a thousands separator (discussion moved from python-dev)

[Jim Jewett]

On 3/12/09, Raymond Hettinger <python at rcn.com> wrote:

> If an accountant needs to knock-out
> a quick report, he/she should have a simple means of basic
> formatting without invoking all of the locale machinery.

Fair enough.  But what does a thousands separator provide that the "n"
type doesn't already provide?  (Well, except that n isn't as well
known  -- but initially this won't be either.)

Do you want to avoid using locale even in the background?
Do you want to avoid having to set a locale in the program startup?
Do you want a better default for locale?

Do you really want a different type, such as "m" for money?  (That
sounds sensible to me, except that there are so many different
standard ways to format money, even within the US, so I'm not sure a
single format would do it.)

-jJ