[Python-Dev] Struct module format code addition (previously was in the subprocess thread)

["Martin v. Löwis"]

Josiah Carlson wrote:
>>There are so many other things to do, and I
>>don't consider this feature (in whatever form) important, as this
>>can be easily done in pure Python for those who need it.
> 
> 
> The same thing can be said for some syntactic changes to Python over the
> years; yet that didn't stop list comprehensions, rich comparisons,
> iterators (generators being the language change that made them easier),
> etc., from changing the language.

Indeed. I wish some of the changes would not have been made (although
the changes on your list are all fine). For those features, the
potential user community is *much* larger than for the feature under
discussion, and I feel I would waste my time for adding a feature that
only few users ever need.

If you would like to debate the size of the user community: any
significanly-large user community should have come up with a standard,
pure-Python solution to the problem by now which would just wait for
integration. This is IMO the process that should be followed for all
library extensions: the library should be developed elsewhere, and
wait some time for API and implementation stabilization. Only *then*
it become candidate for inclusion into Python.

Regards,
Martin