Language change and code breaks

[Terry Reedy]

"Guido van Rossum" <guido at python.org> wrote in message
news:cplmlvh6dx.fsf at cj20424-a.reston1.va.home.com...
> Very good sumary, Terry.  I'm beginning to get second thoughts about
> integer division -- maybe it's better to leave well enough alone, and
> try to fix areas of the language that could really stand some fixing
> (such as subclassing built-in types).
>
> --Guido van Rossum (home page: http://www.python.org/~guido/)

---

Thanks for the response.  My specific comments (for today) on int division
are in the PEP 0238 thread.  My general view on arithmetic change is this:
while your design for Python's arithmetic has served well for a decade,
without any change that I can think of, there are several dissatifactions
and proposals for modification.  Many involve semantic replacement, with
its accompanying problems.  If you are not going to reject them all
indefinitely, then we should discuss, debate, plan, and experiment for
several months to a year to come up with a coherant new design for Python
arithmetic that we can install all at once and then live with for several
more years without further change.  Piecemeal change release after release
could become very messy.

Terry J. Reedy