[Python-Dev] Challenge about print >> None

Guido van Rossum guido@beopen.com
Thu, 14 Sep 2000 17:15:49 -0500


> All of the little hacks and special cases add up.
> 
> In the face of all of this confusion the safest thing would be to make
> print >> None illegal and then figure it out for Python 2.1. 

Sorry, no deal.  print>>file and print>>None are here to stay.

Paul, I don't see why you keep whining about this.  Sure, it's the
feature that everybody loves to hate.  But what's the big deal?  Get
over it.  I don't believe for a second that there is a trend that I've
stopped listening.  To the contrary, I've spent a great deal of time
reading to the arguments against this feature and its refinement, and
I simply fail to be convinced by the counter-arguments.

If this had been in the language from day one nobody would have
challenged it.  (And I've used my time machine to prove it, so don't
argue. :-)

If you believe I should no longer be the BDFL, say so, but please keep
it out of python-dev.  We're trying to get work done here.  You're an
employee of a valued member of the Python Consortium.  As such you can
request (through your boss) to be subscribed to the Consortium mailing
list.  Feel free to bring this up there -- there's not much else going
on there.

--Guido van Rossum (home page: http://www.pythonlabs.com/~guido/)