[Python-Dev] float atime/mtime/ctime - a bad idea?

[Guido van Rossum]

> > In this particular case, I think having a global flag should be good
> > enough.  We can easily rig the standard library not to depend on its
> > value.
> 
> Sounds good. Unless I hear otherwise, I'll add stat_float_times(bool).
> 
> That still leaves the question of a migration plan, assuming that
> users, in general, would appreciate to silently get subsecond
> timestamps where possible. Here is a proposal:
> 
> - 2.3: just add stat_float_times. In the documentation, warn that the
>        value will change in the future.
> - 2.4: make stat_float_times(True) the default. Applications that break
>        would need to add stat_float_times(False) in a central place.
> 
> This has no phase were a warning is emitted, but any scheme that adds
> a warning means that the user first has to add something (to silence
> the warning), and then to remove something (when the default changes -
> although the option might stay forever).

Sounds good.

I wonder if we could let the tuple-ish interface return ints forever
(or until it's no longer supported).

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