'with' statement in python ?

[Steve Holden]

"Guido van Rossum" <guido at python.org> wrote in ...
> "Steve Holden" <sholden at holdenweb.com> writes:
>
> > 6.31. Why doesn't Python have a "with" statement like some other
languages?
>
> See the adjacent thread "PEP scepticism".
>
> --Guido van Rossum (home page: http://www.python.org/~guido/)

I'm beginning to suffer from a PEPtic ulcer. The "PEP scepticism" thread has
been ploughing on (in my opinion with the only progress being a better
understanding of various individuals' and groups' positions) for quite some
time now, without too many people standing up and volunteeering to improve
things.

I do, of course, have my own opinions about where PythonLabs should be
spending its time improving things, but I by and large try to keep these
opinions to myself as I'm not in a position to contribute to many of these
activities. If you aren't part of the answer, you're part of the problem ...
and you do seem to take input from many sources. I'm quite happy offering
input when it's solicited, but try to move on after a "battle" has been
fought, whether I "won" or "lost" (I use quotes to indicate that I don't
regard these matters as appropriate for a high level of emotional
involvement).

So, I tend to restrict my activities to the practical things I *can* do to
help, like maintaining the FAQ (even though many questions indicate that a
large proportion of newbies either aren't aware of it or don't read it). At
least that way there's a corpus of knowledge that individual questioners can
be pointed to. As a for-profit activity I am also writing a book, but this
isn't the place to publicize that. Just the same, I hope it will help people
to make better use of Python, and improve the S/N ratio on this group. The
post you responded to, by the way, was simply to indicate that I had changed
the FAQ in line with a previous poster's suggestion.

A practical step, which some groups already use, is to publicize the FAQ and
the charter of the newsgroup periodically. Maybe we could arrange this? I'd
be happy to make the postings, say every seven or fourteen days, once a
suitable message was composed. Anyone? I'm not sure it will increase the S/N
ratio, but every little helps.

The PEP process is a good idea, but not enough people are willing to get
involved. Perhaps some feel they aren't knowledgable enough, others would
rather make their comments on c.l.py. Since I don't have the time myself
(yet) to write PEPs, I try to refrain from throwing rocks at those who have,
since at least they have stood up to be counted. So I offer opinions, but
when changes go against my inclination I try not to bitch and moan.

Except I still don't like "print >>" ;^)

just-to-retain-some-bolshevik-credibility-ly y'rs  - steve
--
http://www.holdenweb.com/