python interfaces

[Peter Maas]

Sion Arrowsmith wrote:
> hyperboreean  <hyperboreean at nerdshack.com> wrote:
>> Why doesn't python provide interfaces trough its standard library?
> 
> Because they're pointless.

Wrong. I'm using Eclipse with the Java Development Tools (JDT) who do
a wonderful job using interfaces to perform lots of checking, warning
and code generation *nearly in real time while I am editing my code*.
Because JDT knows interfaces it knows what to do and to suggest. An
interface is a software specification allowing you to use a software
package without extensive code studies. This is a good thing.

 > Java interfaces are a hack around the complexities of multiple
 > inheritence.

A hack is something applied subsequently to solve a software problem while
avoiding large changes. Java interfaces originate from careful language
design. You are free to dislike Java interfaces but calling them a hack is
just plain wrong.

Once software becomes really big interfaces are very useful to handle
complexity. Ever wondered why the Zope people introduced interfaces in
their Python code?

 > Interfaces used purely with the idea of type safety provide
 > precious little gain for the added clutter and inconvenience.

An interface is a software specification allowing you to use a software
package without extensive code studies. This is a good thing. Interfaces
have nothing to do with multiple inheritance. They just tell you how to
connect, how to plug in.

-- 
Regards/Gruesse,

Peter Maas, Aachen
E-mail 'cGV0ZXIubWFhc0B1dGlsb2cuZGU=\n'.decode('base64')