How to guard against bugs like this one?

[Stephen Hansen]

>
> (This is no mere Python "wart"; this is a suppurating chancre, and
> the fact that it remains unfixed is a neverending source of puzzlement
> for me.)
>
> How can the average Python programmer guard against this sort of
> time-devouring bug in the future (while remaining a Python programmer)?
> The only solution I can think of is to avoid like the plague the
> basenames of all the 200 or so /usr/lib/pythonX.XX/xyz.py{,c} files,
> and *pray* that whatever name one chooses for one's script does
> not suddenly pop up in the appropriate /usr/lib/pythonX.XX directory
> of a future release.
>


First, I don't shadow built in modules. Its really not very hard to avoid.

Secondly, I use packages structuring my libraries, and avoid junk
directories of a hundred some odd 'scripts'.

Third, I don't execute scripts in that directory structure directly, but
instead do python -c 'from package.blah import main; main.main()' or some
such. Usually via some short-cut, or a runner batch file.

Note that the third avoids the above problem entirely, but that's not why I
do it. Its just a side-effect.

--S
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