[Python-3000] generics [was: Discussions with no PEPs] (original) (raw)

Talin talin at acm.org
Fri Mar 9 20:36:03 CET 2007

Here's my proposal for what additional work should be done with respect to generic functions in Python 3000.

  1. In the Python 3000 branch, do nothing at the current time. The 3.0 branch already has sufficient hooks to allow 3rd-party developers to create their own generic function implementations.

  2. Backport the argument annotations patch to the 2.X series and get it out to the public as quickly as possible. (According to the conversation I had with Guido, this should be relatively easy since the annotations patch was one of the first patches to diverge between 2.X and 3.0).

The reason for doing this is to let the wider community start working with function annotations and developing various dispatcher implementations now, rather than later. Of course, 2.6 isn't going to be coming out much sooner than 3.0 alpha, if at all - but its likely that 2.6 will be used by a much wider audience, whereas 3.0a is likely to only be used by early adopters.

The release would also include a note that encourages people to experiment with this feature - letting them know that there's a vacuum here that needs to be filled.

What I want to see is a number of different generic function implementations that are competing for mind-share in the Python community.

  1. At some point, pick the best / most popular generic function package and formally make it a part of Python 3.

-- Talin

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