[Python-Dev] metaclass insanity

[Guido van Rossum]

> > I don't think it makes much sense to call all Python functions
> > closures.
> 
> I was taught that a closure is a first class function or object that
> holds references to its own lexically defined namespace(s).  So as I
> understand it, they _are_ closures, though limited to only two
> levels of lexical scope (or three if you count the builtin scope).

You're behind the times.  Python 2.2 (and 2.1 if you did "from
__future__ import namesepaces") allows references to outer functions
as well.

--Guido van Rossum (home page: http://www.python.org/~guido/)