python-dev Summary for 2004-05-01 through 2004-05-31

Thu Jun 17 00:18:37 EDT 2004

python-dev Summary for 2004-05-01 through 2004-05-31
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
This is a summary of traffic on the `python-dev mailing list`_ from May 
01, 2004 through May 31, 2004.  It is intended to inform the wider 
Python community of on-going developments on the list.  To comment on 
anything mentioned here, just post to `comp.lang.python`_ (or email 
python-list at python.org which is a gateway to the newsgroup) with a 
subject line mentioning what you are discussing. All python-dev members 
are interested in seeing ideas discussed by the community, so don't 
hesitate to take a stance on something.  And if all of this really 
interests you then get involved and join `python-dev`_!

This is the forty-first and forty-second summaries written by Brett 
Cannon (out
of school and employed for the summer).

To contact me, please send email to brett at python.org ; I do not have 
the time to keep up on comp.lang.python and thus do not always catch 
follow-ups posted there.

All summaries are archived at http://www.python.org/dev/summary/ .

Please note that this summary is written using reStructuredText_ which 
can be found at http://docutils.sf.net/rst.html .  Any unfamiliar 
punctuation is probably markup for reST_ (otherwise it is probably 
regular expression syntax or a typo =); you can safely ignore it, 
although I suggest learning reST; it's simple and is accepted for `PEP 
markup`_ and gives some perks for the HTML output.  Also, because of 
the wonders of programs that like to reformat text, I cannot guarantee 
you will be able to run the text version of this summary through 
Docutils_ as-is unless it is from the `original text file`_.

.. _PEP Markup: http://www.python.org/peps/pep-0012.html

The in-development version of the documentation for Python can be found 
at
http://www.python.org/dev/doc/devel/ and should be used when looking up 
any
documentation on new code; otherwise use the current documentation as 
found at
http://docs.python.org/ .  PEPs (Python Enhancement Proposals) are 
located at http://www.python.org/peps/ .  To view files in the Python 
CVS online, go to 
http://cvs.sourceforge.net/cgi-bin/viewcvs.cgi/python/ .  Reported bugs 
and suggested patches can be found at the SourceForge_ project page.

The `Python Software Foundation`_ is the non-profit organization that 
holds the intellectual property for Python.  It also tries to forward 
the development and use of Python.  But the PSF_ cannot do this without 
donations.  You can make a donation at 
http://python.org/psf/donations.html .  Every penny helps so even a 
small donation (you can donate through PayPal or by check) helps.

.. _python-dev: http://www.python.org/dev/
.. _SourceForge: http://sourceforge.net/tracker/?group_id=5470
.. _python-dev mailing list: 
http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/python-dev
.. _comp.lang.python: http://groups.google.com/groups?q=comp.lang.python
.. _Docutils: http://docutils.sf.net/
.. _reST:
.. _reStructuredText: http://docutils.sf.net/rst.html
.. _PSF:
.. _Python Software Foundation: http://python.org/psf/

.. contents::

.. _last summary: 
http://www.python.org/dev/summary/2004-05-01_2004-05-31.html
.. _original text file: 
http://www.python.org/dev/summary/2004-05-01_2004-05-31.ht

Summary Announcements
=====================
The Spring quarter is now finished for me, so hopefully over the summer 
I can go back to a semi-monthly schedule (work permitting).

2.3.4 was released during the coverage time of this summary.  Everyone 
should upgrade if possible to this bugfix release.

2.4a should be ready by mid-July.

The email server I use (not under my control) decided to change their 
IMAP server.  Unfortunately it is not playing nicely with Thunderbird 
or the mbox format, so I am being forced to use Apple Mail in order to 
delete emails.  Since I am not used to Mail's threading I may have 
missed some threads.  If I did, sorry about that and they will be 
covered in the next summary.

Summaries
=========
-----------------------------
Generator expressions are in!
-----------------------------
Generator expressions have been checked in.  They are currently using 
late bindings (see the `last summary`_ for an explanation of what that 
means).  If using late binding semantics doesn't work for you, do 
express your opinion since it can be changed before the beta is 
released.

Contributing threads:
   - `PEP 289 - Generator Expressions 
<http://mail.python.org/pipermail/python-dev/2004-May/044684.html>`__
   - `PEP 289 - Generator Expressions - Let's Move For ward 
<http://mail.python.org/pipermail/python-dev/2004-May/044643.html>`__

------------------------------------------
Following the docs, not the implementation
------------------------------------------
What happens if you rely on an implementation when the documentation 
explicitly states the semantics in another way?  Well, "you will pay 
for your sin in a special kind of hell set aside for people who take 
the implementation as the spec" according to Guido.  Some things in 
CPython go against the spec for performance reasons, but there is 
nothing stopping from it being changed at another point to more closely 
follow the spec.

Contributing threads:
   - `Passing compile(...,'exec') code to 'eval' 
<http://mail.python.org/pipermail/python-dev/2004-May/044683.html>`__

---------------------------------------------
What you need to get a module into the stdlib
---------------------------------------------
In order to prevent the stdlib from getting bloated with unneeded 
modules, new ones need to have seen use "in the field", as Guido put 
it.

Contributing threads:
   - `New Subscriber 
<http://mail.python.org/pipermail/python-dev/2004-May/044709.html>`__

---------------------
2.3.4 is out the door
---------------------
Python 2.3.4 has been released.  Being a bugfix there are no new 
features.  It is recommended that everyone upgrade to this version.

Contributing threads:
   - `Python 2.3.4 schedule 
<http://mail.python.org/pipermail/python-dev/2004-May/044661.html>`__
   - `release23-maint tree closed for 2.3.4rc1 
<http://mail.python.org/pipermail/python-dev/2004-May/044771.html>`__
   - `Python 2.3.4, release candidate 1 - BUG FIX 
<http://mail.python.org/pipermail/python-dev/2004-May/044854.html>`__
   - `python 2.3.4 delayed for a week 
<http://mail.python.org/pipermail/python-dev/2004-May/044921.html>`__
   - `2.3.4 release this thursday 
<http://mail.python.org/pipermail/python-dev/2004-May/044954.html>`__
   - `ELEASED Python 2.3.4 (final) 
<http://mail.python.org/pipermail/python-dev/2004-May/044984.html>`__

-----------------------
IPv6 for Windows in 2.4
-----------------------
For those of you wanting IPv6 support on Windows in the binary build, 
you will get it in 2.4 .  The reason it isn't in 2.3.x is that the 
branch is compiled with VC 6 which can only compile in IPv6 support 
with a separate SDK.  VC 7, on the other hand, does not have this 
issue.

Contributing threads:
   - `IPv6 support in Win binary again 
<http://mail.python.org/pipermail/python-dev/2004-May/044779.html>`__

-----------------------
cookielib in the stdlib
-----------------------
A module named cookielib was added to the stdlib to allow transparent 
handling of cookies for modules such as urllib2.

Contributing threads:
   - `cookielib module in 2.4? 
<http://mail.python.org/pipermail/python-dev/2004-May/044785.html>`__
   - `cookielib 
<http://mail.python.org/pipermail/python-dev/2004-May/045015.html>`__

------------------------
cmp doesn't call __cmp__
------------------------
It was pointed out that calling ``cmp(x,x)``` does not call 
``x.__cmp__(x)`` but instead uses PyObject_RichCompareBool().  The 
issue with this is that PyObject_RichCompareBool() has a short-circuit 
for when the object being compared is the same, thus skipping a 
possible call to x.__cmp__ and saving some time.

This can be an issue, though, if you want something other than True or 
False to be returned.  Basically what came out of this thread was that 
C functions can short-circuit comparisons so be careful if you want to 
make sure that __cmp__ is called; use '==' and the other comparison 
operators instead.

Contributing threads:
   - `cmp(x,x) 
<http://mail.python.org/pipermail/python-dev/2004-May/044885.html>`__

----------------------------------
Posssible improvements to import.c
----------------------------------
Tim Peters asked if anyone knew the working details of import.c; no one 
spoke up.  The question was brought up because Tim would like to see 
failed imports not lead to mangled modules being in sys.modules and 
thus being considered properly imported.  The suggestion of also 
handling circular imports came up as well.

Contributing threads:
   - `import.c 
<http://mail.python.org/pipermail/python-dev/2004-May/044998.html>`__