Python 1.5.x vs Python 2.x.x

[Paul Rubin]

"Fredrik Lundh" <fredrik at pythonware.com> writes:
> > It's a bug if something is gratuitously, unnecessarily incompatible,
> > like "rand" disappearing.
> 
> can you find "rand" in any recent python documentation?
> 
> have you ever used the module for anything?
> 
> have you ever seen any program using it?
> 
> do you even know what it does?

I haven't used it in my own code.  Some of the Red Hat configuration
scripts use it.  I found that out when I installed Python 2.1 on my
Red Hat system, replacing Python 1.5, and the installation scripts
broke because they could no longer import "rand".  Grr, growl, gnash.
I don't know precisely what it does but it appears to be pretty close
to what "random" does.  I know that because I added a "rand.py" file
containing the single line "import * from random" and that made the
Red Hat scripts work again.