[Python-Dev] Dropping __init__.py requirement for subpackages

[Aahz]

On Wed, Apr 26, 2006, Guido van Rossum wrote:
>
> Which is why I said earlier that I felt disappointed that we can't
> change anything any more.

I've been here since Python 1.5.1.  I don't understand why this issue in
particular makes you feel disappointed.  I also think your statement is
just plain untrue.  Looking at the What's New for Python 2.5, we have
changes to the import machinery, the with statement, new functionality
for generators, conditional expressions, ssize_t, exceptions as new-style
classes, deleted modules (regex, regsub, and whrandom), and on and on and
on.  Some of these changes are going to cause moderate breakage for some
people; they cumulatively represent a *lot* of change.  Python 2.5 is
gonna be a *huge* release.

Quite honestly, I think you've let yourself get emotionally attached to
this issue for some reason.  On the other hand, I think that a lot of the
blowback you got comes from you bringing up this issue right before
2.5a2.  My suggestion is that you let this sit and make yourself a
calendar entry to think about this again in October.  If it still seems
like a good idea, go ahead and bring it up.  (Or just punt to 3.0.)
-- 
Aahz (aahz at pythoncraft.com)           <*>         http://www.pythoncraft.com/

"Argue for your limitations, and sure enough they're yours."  --Richard Bach