[Python-ideas] Python Numbers as Human Concept Decimal System

[Steven D'Aprano]

On Fri, Mar 07, 2014 at 09:40:47PM -0800, Mark H. Harris wrote:

> hi Andrew, I have been studying the python-ideas archive & the 
> python-dev archive all night. I have read hundreds of posts. I am 
> finding something very interesting. My proposal has been coming up 
> (time and again) in different flavors for many years; with all the 
> same people participating (with all of the very same discussion almost 
> verbatim).

Which proposal? You have made a few, and I cannot keep track of which 
ones you still stand by and which ones you have abandoned.

- that Python unify all numeric types to one "Python 
Number" (I think this is abandoned)

- that Decimal(float) use AI to determine what number the programmer 
wanted (you've agreed to stop using the term "AI", but I'm not entirely 
sure whether you've moved away from this position entirely -- you 
still describe Python as needing to "intelligently" convert floats)

- that allowing Decimal(float) at all is a mistake and should be 
prohibited

- that the default numeric type when the programmer enters a numeral 
with a decimal point like 2.01 be Decimal


and possibly others. Which proposal are you referring to here?


> Just for history sake, I thought you might be interested in a blast from 
> the past from Raymond
> Hettinger in response to Lennart Benschop who made the decimal literal 
> proposal in Oct, 2007:
[snip]

Would you mind providing a URL for that message so we can see the 
context please?


-- 
Steven