[Python-Dev] styleguide inconsistency

[Darren Dale]

I was recently searching for some guidance on how to name packages and
modules, and discovered an inconsistency in the style guides published at
www.python.org. http://www.python.org/doc/essays/styleguide.html
says "Module names can be either MixedCase or lowercase." That
page also refers to PEP 8 at
http://www.python.org/dev/peps/pep-0008/, which says "Modules
should have short, all-lowercase names. ... Python packages should
also have short, all-lowercase names ...".

Some discussion on dev.lang.python has so far turned up the following points 
of view:

1) There isn't technically a contradiction because "can be" is not the same 
as "should be". 

However, since this is a style guide and not a syntax guide, I still think the 
documents are contradictory.

2) There isn't any confusion because the styleguide refers to the PEPs, so 
they have priority. 

However, styleguide.html does not explain that the PEPs are more up-to-date. 
We shouldn't expect someone to go to the PEPs after finding an answer to 
their question in the styleguide.

Perhaps one of these documents could be revised to make the situation more 
clear?

Thanks,
Darren Dale