[Python-Dev] Challenge about print >> None

[Tim Peters]

[Vladimir Marangozov]
> ...
> As long as one starts redirecting output, I believe that one already
> has enough knowledge about files, and in particular about stdin,
> stdout and stderr. None in the sense of /dev/null is not so far from
> that.  It is a simple concept. But this is already "advanced
> knowledge" about redirecting output on purpose.

This is so Unix-centric, though; e.g., native windows users have only the
dimmest knowledge of stderr, and almost none of /dev/null.  Which ties in
to:

> So as long as one uses extended print, she's already an advanced user.

Nope!  "Now how did I get this to print to a file instead?" is one of the
faqiest of newbie FAQs on c.l.py, and the answers they've been given in the
past were sheer torture for them ("sys?  what's that?  rebind sys.stdout to
a file-like object?  what?! etc").

This is one of those cases where Guido is right, but for reasons nobody can
explain <0.8 wink>.

sometimes-you-just-gotta-trust-your-bdfl-ly y'rs  - tim