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

[R. David Murray]

spir <denis.spir at free.fr> wrote:
> Le Thu, 19 Mar 2009 08:33:43 +1000, Nick Coghlan
> <ncoghlan at gmail.com> s'exprima ainsi:
> 
> > B. All I can suggest is to try to think of the "commas as separators in
> > format()" situation as being in the same vein as that whole "let use
> > English keywords where possible" idea :)
> 
> This is a wrong rationale. The readers of python keywords is the community of
> pythonistas (*); while the readers of documents produced by apps written in
> python can be any kind of people.  "1,234,567.89" is more or less illegible

But the thing currently approved, using ',' to indicated that thousands
separators should be used, is _exactly_ like the keyword situation.
It's something that the programmer types and reads.

Controlling what character actually gets used in the output is a separate
issue that still needs to be addressed, to my understanding.  For now,
we are defaulting to English, just like usual ;)

--
R. David Murray           http://www.bitdance.com