[Python-ideas] anonymous object support

[Nick Coghlan]

On Tue, Jul 26, 2011 at 2:36 PM, Matt Joiner <anacrolix at gmail.com> wrote:
> Just as a slight aside, is the special case of type() purely for convenience?
> Aren't the "new-style" ways to do this __class__ and isinstance()?

Not really - all three do different things:

1. type(x) always gives you the true metaclass of x
2. x.__class__ tells you what x claims to be (which may differ from
type(x) for things like proxy objects)
3. isinstance(x, cls) doesn't tell you what x actually *is*, just
whether or not it passes the isinstance check (it may be an instance
of a subclass, proxying for another object, or just registered if cls
refers to an ABC)

There has to be *some* way to spell number 1 and Guido chose to use
type() for it.

Cheers,
Nick.

-- 
Nick Coghlan   |   ncoghlan at gmail.com   |   Brisbane, Australia