Why do descriptors (and thus properties) only work on attributes.

[Antoon Pardon]

Op 2005-02-28, Paul Rubin schreef <http>:
> Antoon Pardon <apardon at forel.vub.ac.be> writes:
>> Can anyone explain why descriptors only work when they are an attribute
>> to an object or class.  I think a lot of interesting things one can
>> do with descriptors would be just as interesting if the object stood
>> on itself instead of being an attribute to an other object.
>
> How would that work?

Well AFAIU a descriptor is an object with at least one method out of
__get__, __set__ or __del__. I don see why implicitly calling one
of these methods would be any more difficult when they are autonomous
objects than when they are attributes.

-- 
Antoon Pardon