Third Draft: Pep for Deprecating Builtins

[Ben Wolfson]

On Mon, 29 Apr 2002 16:19:40 -0500, Alex Martelli wrote:

> I'm surprised you miss the main advantage -- 0666, the Number
> of the Beast in octal, translates to decimal 438, the A.D. in which
> Emperor Theodosius II promulgated the Theodosian Code, the
> wildly antisemitic laws which, among other things, forbid Christians
> to even give alms to Jews, forbid Jews to hold State office or build
> synagogues, condemned to death any Jew converting a Christian.
> 
> Surely this is therefore a number which is often handy in the everyday
> practice of programming, and even thinking of eventually making a
> non-builtin of the precious Python function that helps us work with a
> numbering system which has such wondrous properties is unholy.

I'm afraid, Alex, that your otherwise brilliant analysis is fundamentally
flawed:  the Number of the Beast, viz. 666, is 01232 in octal, 1232 being
the year in which rocketry was used successfully to repel Mongol invaders
at the battle of Kai-fung-fu.  Clearly, this proves that Edward Teller is
the devil's spawn.  It is enlightening to recall once again in this
context the name Lucifer, and to remember that the brightest blast is
often the most destructive.

Especially in these troubled times, we should be thankful for the oct()
builtin, as every time we use it we are moved yet more to pacifism!

-- 
BTR    
BEN WOLFSON HAS RUINED ROCK MUSIC FOR A GENERATION
 -- Crgre Jvyyneq