[Python-Dev] ConfigParser changes

[Eric S. Raymond]

Guido van Rossum <guido@beopen.com>:
> One possible suggestion (just for your contemplation): if you're only
> adding methods, would it make sense to make a subclass, so that from
> the class one uses it is clear whether one intends to modify the
> options or just to read them?  That would enable future optimizations.

Yes, and I even know what I'd call the class: ConfigEditor.

Unfortunately this plan it trips on a historical fact; one (1) of the
write methods, add_section(), already existed in ConfigParser.  Moving
it to a ConfigEditor subclass would break backward compatibility.  And
I think it would be just too ugly to move all but one of the write
methods into ConfigEditor and leave add_section() in the base class.

If not for this problem I would be more than happy to do as you suggest.
-- 
		<a href="http://www.tuxedo.org/~esr">Eric S. Raymond</a>

"Those who make peaceful revolution impossible 
will make violent revolution inevitable."
	-- John F. Kennedy