PEP0238 lament

Grant Edwards grante at visi.com
Mon Jul 23 14:45:12 EDT 2001


In article <slrn.pl.9lopjh.308.qrczak at qrnik.zagroda>, Marcin 'Qrczak' Kowalczyk wrote:

>The difference between '+' and '/' is that ints aren't
>implicitly converted to strings, so one wouldn't use an int
>instead of a string expecting '+' to do the conversion and
>concatenation. But ints *are* implicitly converted to floats
>when needed

Language design mistake.

>in about all contexts except '/', so it would be reasonable to
>expect them to be converted in the '/' case too.

And we'll fix it by makeing more widespread.

>Python does treat ints and floats as different parts of the
>same concept by letting them compare equal and convert as
>needed.

Let's change that.  Mixing ints and floats should to
automagical conversion, it should cause an exception.  That's
no more disruptive that changing the meaning of the "/"
operator, and it's far more in line with the spirit of not
converting operands to make operators happy.

>So real division and integer division should be distinguished
>by the operator.

That's one opinion.  I feel that in an OO language the objects
should determine the meaning of the operators.

-- 
Grant Edwards                   grante             Yow!  Yes, but will I
                                  at               see the EASTER BUNNY in
                               visi.com            skintight leather at an
                                                   IRON MAIDEN concert?



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