Python 3000, zip, *args and iterators

[Steven Bethard]

Terry Reedy wrote:
> "Steven Bethard" <steven.bethard at gmail.com> wrote in message 
> news:3yGzd.289258$HA.962 at attbi_s01...
> 
>>So, as I understand it, in Python 3000, zip will basically be replaced 
>>with izip, meaning that instead of returning a list, it will return an 
>>iterator.
> 
> I think it worth repeating that Python 3 is at yet something of a 
> pipedream, as indicated by the joke name Python 3000 (that also being in 
> part a satire on Windows 2000, and the like).

True, true.  And worth repeating.

> So, while Guido has said he 
> would like to make Python iterator-oriented in the way that it used to be 
> list-oriented, nothing is set in stone, certainly not the details.

Right, though my understanding of PEP 3000[1] is that though "Python 
3000"  may never exist, the PEP is there as a road-map of where Python 
as a language would like to go.  I guess the point of my question is to 
find out if this kind of nice interaction of *args and iterators is 
something that's in the road-map.  If it is, then maybe there are parts 
of it that could be implemented in a way that's backwards compatible, 
even if the full system wouldn't be available for some time.  (Perhaps 
something along the lines of "from __future__ import iter_args".)

Steve

[1] http://www.python.org/peps/pep-3000.html