Is Python moving too fast?

[Grant Griffin]

Peter Hansen wrote:
> 
> > And now that I've ruffled a bunch of feathers (five, at last count), I'll
> > apologize for being so crass.
> >
> > I'd like to end this particular thread with a few comments/explanations:
> >
> > 1. I really, *really* like Python and want it to succeed wildly.  This
> > means I care about it, and means that I'm going to be sticking in my two
> > bits whenever I feel that things might happen that can harm it.
> 
> Hear, hear!  I suspect that describes the feelings of many, many people
> in
> this forum, which is a Really Good Thing.  We're all on the same side.

Yup.  Once people get a desire the evangelize under their skin, there's
no stopping 'em. <wink>

> > 2. I'm disappointed that the dozens of messages protesting the "print >>"
> > concept do not appear to be taken seriously.  It's as if the core
> > developers have all made up their minds, and the intelligent
> > counter-arguments, alternatives and concerns of us revolting peasants
> > aren't being taken into consideration.
> 
> My first impression about "print >>" was negative.  Having read Guido's
> response, however, I have to say that (a) the messages *were* taken very
> seriously, and (b) the counter-counter-argument was even more
> intelligent
> than the intelligent counter-arguments.  IMHO, Guido has an *excellent*
> innate feeling for good design,

All kidding aside, we have to yield to the obvious: that Guido has done
so many things so rightly, and so astutely in Python that there's little
reason to believe he actually suffers from brain farts.  <pee-yew!>

> and this is another case where I am
> convinced yet again that the decisions of a single lead architect
> (some seem to use the term benevolent dictator but I think that smells
> of a "cultism" which could scare off some people and companies)

Naw...it's pretty-much a standard term in the world of open-source
software.  It's actually sort of an affectionate term. <nudge, nudge;
wink, wink>  Besides, even benevolent dictators (and their free
software) have competition, so that'll tend to keep 'em honest.

> can lead to a design with much higher integrity than one done by
> committee... which is what much of our rambling in this forum amounts
> to.

Well, sure.  But even knowing we have a B_D_FL, we us flatter ourselves
that our opinions count for something--or at least we feel better
expressing them.

Which reminds me.  I've been wondering exactly what the "PEP" process is
intended to do, in the case of PEPs created by Python's beloved BDFL.  I
think I saw somewhere here that he had made up his mind long ago on this
one.  (Dictators are nothing if not decisive. ;-)  So, with _honest_
respect and affection for our own BDFL <<here it comes>>, I speculate
that it might be some combination of the following:

- Finding the big "gottcha" that he might have missed.  (Heaven forbid! 
But heck, dictators are human, too.)
- Gauging the political winds.  (Every dictator worth his salt
understands that even _dictators_ really can't do something that The
People find just totally unacceptable.)
- Keeping The People informed of the foregone conclusion.  (A dictator
would hardly be benevolent if he didn't even do at least that much, now
would he? <wink>)
- Building a concensus around the foregone conclusion.  (Every dictator
worth his salt understands that dictators who don't serve The Will of
The People (one way or another <wink>) don't last for long.)
- Giving The People the idea that he's actually interested in their
opinion.  (Every dictator worth his salt understands that The People
like to _think_ they're being heard.)
- Giving The People a chance to vent.  (Every dictator worth his salt
understands that The People are gonna vent anyway (at least in the
benevolent world of open-source dictatorships. <wink>)  So let's just
let them get it out of their system, so we can all Move On.)

studying-to-be-a-dictator-one-day-myself-<wink>-ly y'rs,

=g2
-- 
_____________________________________________________________________

Grant R. Griffin                                       g2 at dspguru.com
Publisher of dspGuru                           http://www.dspguru.com
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