[Python-Dev] Issues with Py3.1's new ipaddr

[Andrew McNamara]

On 03/06/2009, at 12:39 PM, Guido van Rossum wrote:

> I'm disappointed in the process -- it's as if nobody really reviewed
> the API until it was released with rc1, and this despite there being a
> significant discussion about its inclusion and alternatives months
> ago. (Don't look at me -- I wouldn't recognize a netmask if it bit me
> in the behind, and I can honestly say that I don't know whether /8
> means to look only at the first 8 bits or whether it means to mask off
> the last 8 bits.)
>
> I hope we can learn from this.

When including third-party modules into the standard library, we've  
generally only included them after they have broad acceptance in the  
community. In this case, however, it seems that while the ipaddr  
module had acceptance within Google, it had not had much exposure to  
the broader python community. I think if anyone other than Guido had  
proposed adding the module to the standard library, we would not have  
even considered it until it had spent some time standing on it's own  
two feet.