Difference between type and class

[Nikolaus Rath]

Hello,

Can someone explain to me the difference between a type and a class?
After reading http://www.cafepy.com/article/python_types_and_objects/
it seems to me that classes and types are actually the same thing:

 - both are instances of a metaclass, and the same metaclass ('type')
   can instantiate both classes and types.
 - both can be instantiated and yield an "ordinary" object
 - I can even inherit from a type and get a class

So why does Python distinguish between e.g. the type 'int' and the
class 'myclass'? Why can't I say that 'int' is a class and 'myclass'
is a type?

I hope I have managed to get across the point of my confusion...


Thanks in advance,

   -Nikolaus

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