[Python-Dev] Python 1.6 timing

[Andrew M. Kuchling]

Barry A. Warsaw writes:
>    Guido> There are several other things I can think of now that were
>    Guido> planned for 1.6: revamped import, rich comparisons, revised
>    Guido> coercions, parallel for loop (for i in L; j in M: ...),
>    Guido> extended slicing for all sequences.  

I'm not clear on the status of these various things; how many of these
changes are deep ones that need lots of design, or affect massive
amounts of the code base?  For example, revamped import is a tricky
design problem (as we've seen on this list).  Is the spec for rich
comparisons clearly defined at this point?  Something like the
parallel for loop seems like a parser modification combined with a
code-generator modification, with no subtle implications for the rest
of the implementation, and so that seems a simple matter of
programming -- a week or so of effort.  (Maybe I've missed something?)

>    Guido> I've also been
>    Guido> thinking about making classes be types (not as huge a
>    Guido> change as you think, if you don't allow subclassing
>    Guido> built-in types), and adding a built-in array type suitable
>    Guido> for use by NumPy.  I've also received a conservative GC
>    Guido> patch that seems to be fairly easy to apply and has some of
>    Guido> Tim Peters' blessing.

Similarly, does the conservative GC patch splatter changes all over
the place, or is it very localized?  Is adding the NumPy array type
straightforward?  Remember, there would presumably be a couple of 1.6
alphas and betas to shake out bugs.

>From a political standpoint, I'd call the next release 1.6 and not
>bother with another installment in 1.5.x series.  And I agree with

Fair enough; forget about the 1.5.5 suggestion, and call it as 1.6.

>tree.  My free-time plate is pretty full with JPython and Mailman, but
>I'm willing to help where possible.

Ditto.

-- 
A.M. Kuchling			http://starship.python.net/crew/amk/
One trouble with being efficient is that it makes everybody hate you so.
    -- Bob Edwards, the Calgary Eyeopener, March 18, 1916