[Python-3000] Question about PEP 3001 and fixing API flaws

[BJörn Lindqvist]

On 3/21/07, Terry Reedy <tjreedy at udel.edu> wrote:
> "BJörn Lindqvist" <bjourne at gmail.com> wrote in message
> news:740c3aec0703211154u5f151dcel817b4f2e253d9d99 at mail.gmail.com...
> | No comments at all. :( Did I send the mail to the wrong list?
>
> No, perhaps everyone did as I did, and assumed someone else would answer
> ;-)

I see.. Thanks for your response then. :)

> | Either or, I still would like to know what the py3k rules are for
> | repairing broken API:s.
>
> I don't remember there being much discussion of this yet.  I believe there
> is agreement to change names of modules to comform with PEP 8, but I
> suspect this a easier to accomodate in the autofixer than names within
> modules.

It is easy to do it manually too, if it is allowed. But the problem
becomes what to do for Python 2.6?

> My personal position, at least for threading and telnet, would be change
> away, since I have never used either and would not be affected.  But I know
> others are in the opposite position, so I would not give mine much weight.
>
> It also seems to me that module fixups might better wait until the kernal
> and fixup code are more stable.

I disagree. Most modules in the Standard Library needs a makeover
which potentially is more disruptive than other changes. It is not so
hard to adapt to print being a function instead of a statement. It is
hard to adapt to 500 different backwards-incompatible API changes in
the Standard Library. IMHO, codified guidelines for how to handle that
would be most useful. I also think that that could bring many bugs and
patches on sourceforge to closure because they require incompatible
API changes (such as the telnetlib example).

-- 
mvh Björn