[Python-Dev] Raising objections

[Barry Warsaw]

On Thu, 2006-04-20 at 07:53 +0200, "Martin v. Löwis" wrote:

> > Sometimes you _have_ to rewrite. I point to 
> > urllib->urllib2, asyncore->twisted, rfc822/mimelib/&c->email. 
> 
> If I had the time, I would question each of these. Yes, it is
> easier for the author of the new package to build "in the
> green", but it is (nearly) never necessary, and almost always
> bad for the project.

Actually, it's not always easier to rewrite from scratch.  In fact, I
think it's rarely easier to do so than to just patch up bugs here and
there in something that already exists, or wedge in hacks to minimally
extend it to keep up with new standards or uses.  

But sometimes the fundamental model of how something works just will no
longer cut it, and something better must be designed, argued about,
written, tested, documented, beta released, feedback gathered, bugs
accepted, patches accepted, re-released, maintained, backward
compatibility supported forever, etc. etc.  Oh wait, yes definitely
easier to rewrite <wink>.

way-off-topic-now-ly y'rs,
-Barry

-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: not available
Type: application/pgp-signature
Size: 309 bytes
Desc: This is a digitally signed message part
Url : http://mail.python.org/pipermail/python-dev/attachments/20060420/1a55f4ff/attachment.pgp