Python 3 (Re: [Python-Dev] shouldn't we be considering all pending numeric proposals together?)

[Greg Ewing]

"M.-A. Lemburg" <mal@lemburg.com>:

> how about a "from __semantics__ import 
> non_integer_division" which does not have a timeout attached 
> to it ?!

If we're to have some form of version declaration in
perpetuity, I hope we can find a MUCH nicer syntax for
it than that!

I suggest simply putting

  python 3

at the top of the module (and calling the first release which
supports it 3.0).

This would completely eliminate all backwards-compatibility
objections at a stroke; there wouldn't even be any need for
warnings. And we wouldn't necessarily be committing to
"dragging the past around forever", since there's always
the possibility of dropping support for older versions
in some release suitably far in the future.

Greg Ewing, Computer Science Dept, +--------------------------------------+
University of Canterbury,	   | A citizen of NewZealandCorp, a	  |
Christchurch, New Zealand	   | wholly-owned subsidiary of USA Inc.  |
greg@cosc.canterbury.ac.nz	   +--------------------------------------+