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

[Lie Ryan]

Guido van Rossum wrote:
>>
>>  (2) To avoid fraud
>>> when printing certain documents -- it's easier to insert a '1' in
>>> front of a small number than to change a '0' into something else.
>> However it's easy to add a '1' before a string of leading
>> zeroes if there's a sliver of space available, so it's
>> better still to fill with some other character such as
>> '*'. You need a cooperative font for that to work.
> 
> What I've seen is the '$' sign immediately in front, e.g. $001,000.00.
> 

I think I'd rather see something like: $==1,000.00==

I wouldn't use zeroes, if I were the bank. It is bad on the aesthetics, 
and too easy to fraud.