[Python-Dev] shouldn't we be considering all pending numeric proposals together?

[Skip Montanaro]

There are several active or could-be-active PEPs related to Python's numeric
behavior:

     S   211  pep-0211.txt  Adding A New Outer Product Operator    Wilson
     S   228  pep-0228.txt  Reworking Python's Numeric Model       Zadka
     S   237  pep-0237.txt  Unifying Long Integers and Integers    Zadka
     S   238  pep-0238.txt  Non-integer Division                   Zadka
     S   239  pep-0239.txt  Adding a Rational Type to Python       Zadka
     S   240  pep-0240.txt  Adding a Rational Literal to Python    Zadka
     S   242  pep-0242.txt  Numeric Kinds                          Dubois

Instead of implementing them piecemeal, shouldn't we be considering them as
a related group?  For example, implementing any or all of PEPs 237, 239 and
240 might well have an effect on what needs to be done for PEP 238.  With
slight modifications, the proposals in PEP 242 might well subsume PEP 238's
functionality in a different way.

If the semantics of arithmetic are going to change, I think they should
change in the context of expanded capability in the language.

-- 
Skip Montanaro (skip@pobox.com)
http://www.mojam.com/
http://www.musi-cal.com/