python-dev summary, 2001-03-01 - 2001-03-15

[Michael Hudson]

 This is a summary of traffic on the python-dev mailing list between
 Mar 1 and Mar 14 (inclusive) 2001.  It is intended to inform the
 wider Python community of ongoing developments.  To comment, just
 post to python-list at python.org or comp.lang.python in the usual
 way. Give your posting a meaningful subject line, and if it's about a
 PEP, include the PEP number (e.g. Subject: PEP 201 - Lockstep
 iteration) All python-dev members are interested in seeing ideas
 discussed by the community, so don't hesitate to take a stance on a
 PEP if you have an opinion.

 This is the third python-dev summary written by Michael Hudson.
 Previous summaries were written by Andrew Kuchling and can be found
 at:

   <http://www.amk.ca/python/dev/>

 New summaries will appear at:

  <http://starship.python.net/crew/mwh/summaries/>

 and will continue to be archived at Andrew's site.

   Posting distribution (with apologies to mbm)

   Number of articles in summary: 264

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 A quiet fortnight on python-dev; the conference a week ago is
 responsible for some of that, but also discussion has been springing
 up on other mailing lists (including the types-sig, doc-sig,
 python-iter and stackless lists, and those are just the ones your
 author is subscribed to).


   * Bug Fix Releases *

 Aahz posted a proposal for a 2.0.1 release, fixing the bugs that have
 been found in 2.0 but not adding the new features.

  <http://mail.python.org/pipermail/python-dev/2001-March/013389.html>

 Guido's response was, essentially, "Good idea, but I don't have the
 time to put into it", and that the wider community would have to put
 in some of the donkey work if this is going to happen.  Signs so far
 are encouraging.


    * Numerics *

 Moshe Zadka posted three new PEP-drafts:

  <http://mail.python.org/pipermail/python-dev/2001-March/013435.html>

 which on discussion became four new PEPs, which are not yet online
 (hint, hint).

 The four titles are

    Unifying Long Integers and Integers
    Non-integer Division
    Adding a Rational Type to Python
    Adding a Rational Literal to Python

 and they will appear fairly soon at

  <http://python.sourceforge.net/peps/pep-0237.html>
  <http://python.sourceforge.net/peps/pep-0238.html>
  <http://python.sourceforge.net/peps/pep-0239.html>
  <http://python.sourceforge.net/peps/pep-0240.html>

 respectively.

 Although pedantically falling slightly out of the remit of this
 summary, I should mention Guido's partial BDFL pronouncement:

  <http://mail.python.org/pipermail/python-dev/2001-March/013587.html>

 A new mailing list had been setup to discuss these issues:

  <http://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/python-numerics>


    * Revive the types-sig? *

 Paul Prescod has single-handedly kicked the types-sig into life
 again.

  <http://mail.python.org/sigs/types-sig/>

 The discussion this time seems to be centered on interfaces and how to
 use them effectively.  You never know, we might get somewhere this
 time!

    * stackless *

 Jeremy Hylton posted some comments on Gordon McMillan's new draft of
 the stackless PEP (PEP 219) and the stackless dev day discussion at
 Spam 9.

  <http://mail.python.org/pipermail/python-dev/2001-March/013494.html>

 The discussion has mostly focussed on technical issues; there has
 been no comment on if or when the core Python will become stackless.


    * miscellanea *

 There was some discussion on nested scopes, but mainly on
 implementation issues.  Thomas Wouters promised <wink> to sort out
 the "continue in finally: clause" wart.

Cheers,
M.