[Python-Dev] Python 1.7 tokenization feature request

[David Ascher]

> 'S funny --- my non-programmer friends can't figure out why any sane
> person would use a glorified glass TTY like emacs... or why they should
> have to, just to program... I just think that someone's going to do this
> for some language, some time soon, and I'd rather Python be in the lead
> than play catch-up.

But the scheme you put forth causes major problems for current Python users
who *are* using glass TTYs, so I don't think it'll fly for very basic
political reasons nicely illustrated by Dave-the-diplomat's response.

While storage of Python files in XML documents is a good thing, it's hard to
see why XML should be viewed as the only storage format for Python files.  I
think a much richer XML schema could be useful in some distant future:

<class name="Foo">
  <method name="Foo">
    <argumentlist>
      <argument name="self">
      ...

What might be more useful in the short them IMO is to define a _standard_
mechanism for Python-in-XML encoding/decoding, so that all code which
encodes Python in XML is done the same way, and so that XML editors can
figure out once and for all how to decode Python-in-CDATA.

Strawman Encoding # 1:
  replace < with &lt; and > with &gt; when not in strings, and vice versa on
the decoding side.

Strawman Encoding # 2:
  - do Strawman 1, AND
  - replace space-determined indentation with { and } tokens or other INDENT
and DEDENT markers using some rare Unicode characters to work around
inevitable bugs in whitespace handling of XML processors.

--david