PEP0238 lament

[Steve Horne]

On Mon, 23 Jul 2001 00:16:19 -0400, "Tim Peters" <tim.one at home.com>
wrote:

>case which I intended.  If this happens, the transitional release should
>also produce runtime warnings pinpointing lines where "/" is applied to
>integer arguments, so if you've got good unit tests nothing will be missed.

Assuming that people realise they need to retest all those scripts
they've be using trouble-free for years.

I think you underestimate the number of people who will some day
figure that 1.5.2 is a bit old, install the latest version, and have
hell break lose over night when half their scripts stop working.

>Don't forget that this has been debated repeatedly over the course of
>several years.  Most people drop out of these things after the fifth time
><0.5 wink>.

There's no point arguing these things if you don't believe anyone
would ever really do it. Now it looks like, after spending some time
advocating Python and talking people into letting me use it, suddenly
I'm going to look a right arse. I'll either have to warn everyone not
to upgrade because "the new version has serious compatability issues
with a basic arithmetic issue - nothing you wouldn't expect from *any*
language honestly - please stop laughing at me", or just hope like
hell that the problems aren't serious enough to get me the sack.

I couldn't find every copy of my scripts that's in use if I wanted to
- and besides, how am I going to justify having to suddenly take time
out to "fix the serious compatability issues with a basic arithmetic
operator in that language I kept insisting was so great".

Python advocates are going to end up looking pathetic. How long do you
think they'll carry on advocating Python?

-- 
Steve Horne
Home : steve at lurking.demon.co.uk
Work : sh at ttsoftware.co.uk