[Python-Dev] PEP 215 redux: toward a simplified consensus?

[Paul Prescod]

"Barry A. Warsaw" wrote:
> 
> >>>>> "PP" == Paul Prescod <paul@prescod.net> writes:
> 
>     PP> This doesn't make internationalization more difficult. As
>     PP> proof I present mailman, which *already* does the
>     PP> interpolation I ask for as a feature of its implementation of
>     PP> "_()". All I'm asking is that mailman's interpolation feature
>     PP> ALSO be available under a simplified syntax at compile time.
> 
> Except that remember the interpolation step must happen /after/ the
> translation step, otherwise it's worse than useless.

Right, that's why you *for localized software* you should do it at
runtime. And insofar as the process of localization *already* consists
of touching every string, it takes no extra effort to change a
compile-time interpolation to a runtime one while you are at it.

But the newbie to Python should not be saddled with a syntax optimized
towards advanced users, and even as a person often hacking
single-language software I shouldn't be saddled with dynamic
interpolation until I need it either! "Saddled with" means "required to
use a verbose, non-intuitive syntax with a bunch of special cases for a
simple and common operation."

 Paul Prescod