PEP0238 lament

[Terry Reedy]

> Guys, if you really need something returning floats for division,
make it
> new operator, I guess everyone could be made happy with 1/2 == 0 and
1//2 ==
> 0.5.

I can sympathize with the people who have suggested this alternative,
but it strikes me as making things worse in a way.  The current
situation is this: '/' mixes  two types of division -- fractional
result and integer result.  This is fine with me, but I can understand
some having a problem.

Moshe's current proposal cleanly separates the two types: '/' will be
fractional result and '//' will be integer result (including
floor(float/float)).  So 8/3 = 8.0/3.0 = 2.33333, while 8//3 = 2 and
8.0//3.0 = 3.0, which is the same to within type, just as 3+8 ==
(withing type) 3.0+8.0.  (I am not sure about complex//complex since I
an not sure if floor(complex) is defined -- floor(x) + floor(y)*j?)
This is arguably what Python should have started with.

Adding '//' as a pure fractional division operator while '/' remains a
mixed division operator strikes me an unaesthetic and more confusing
than the current situation.  Why the two half redundant operators?
newcomers might rightly wonder.

Terry J. Reedy