[Python-Dev] switch-based programming in Python

[Tim Peters]

[unattributed]
> One new keyword would be easier than two for Guido to swallow...

[Martin v. Loewis]
> You'd introduce it through a __future__ import, so it wouldn't matter
> if it is one or two.

No, __future__ is a mechanism for barely tolerating incompatible change, not
for inviting it.  The only keyword added since "assert" is "yield", and it's
the only one planned; every new keyword is going to break someone's code,
and new keywords are still resisted mightily.

However, I'm looking forward to seeing how Guido manages to add nice syntax
for classmethods, staticmethods, properties, metatype selection, super, and
__slots__ in 2.3 without any other new keywords <wink>.