[Python-3000] Generic functions vs. OO

[Bill Janssen]

I've updated the page to reflect more of Jim Jewett's comments.  And
to reflect more of the underlying "special methods".  "Container", for
instance, now has "get" (for __getattr__), as well as "len" (for
__len__).

By the way, all these interfaces are already in Python; they just
aren't written down anywhere in a group.  Instead, they are mostly
scattered through the documentation, some in the Library Reference
manual, others in the Language Ref manual.

(Yes, I have split the file I/O functionality into a number of
separate interfaces.)

Bill

> Guido van Rossum wrote:
> > I wonder if a bunch of well thought-out standard ABCs, applied to the
> > standard data types, and perhaps more support for setting __bases__,
> > wouldn't address most concerns.
> 
> I think it would, but I don't know if we're going to get anywhere
> without getting more concrete.  Let's tap "the wisdom of crowds".  I've
> set up a Wiki page at http://wiki.python.org/moin/AbstractBaseClasses,
> and spent a little time defining some ABCs and concrete classes.  I'll
> work on it more over the week, but feel free to pitch in and expand it.
> Or create alternative versions (create a new Wiki page, and put a link
> to it at the top of the existing page).
> 
> Bill