encapsulation, typing & other questions

[Ragu Bharadwaj]

Hi Guys,
	I'm considering Python for enterprise level development and being new
to Python but having used ObjC & Java a lot, have the following
questions. Any answers would be appreciated.

1. Are there plans to include type support for method/function calls in
Python? Seems like it would lead to much faster error detection &
correction.

2. How easy is it to use design patterns in Python? A lack of typing
suggests it wouldn't be too easy, but I'd like to hear back from folks
that have tried this.

3. Are there plans to include method & variable encapsulation in the
object models in python? The answer I've heard is that since it's
possible to overcome encapsulation by long or dirty ways, it isn't worth
it. But my comeback is that if one sticks to the rules while coding,
this won't happen and the resulting gains are worth it.

4. How advanced is db access in Python? Does it use connection pooling
and other optimizations like the JDBC drivers?

cheers
-Ragu