[Python-Dev] Any objections to adding threading.Timer? (original) (raw)

Aahz Maruch aahz@rahul.net
Fri, 10 Aug 2001 16🔞09 -0700 (PDT)

[sorry for the delay, network connectivity problems]

Martin v. Loewis wrote:

Aahz:

I'm not objecting, precisely, but I have an allergic reaction to the way timed Event() works, even though there's really no other way to work it. I think that encouraging people to use it is a Bad Idea. Can you elaborate in more detail what your concern about the timed Event() is? This one itself looks fine; if anything, Condition.wait looks disturbing. Could you also kindly put your comments into http://sourceforge.net/tracker/?groupid=5470&atid=305470&func=detail&aid=428326

Hrm. I'll put my comments there if you ask, but my objection is more general than this specific feature. As you note, I'm actually objecting to the whole Condition.wait() feature. The main problem with this kind of timeout is the way the granularity works; there was a recent post to c.l.py where someone was complaining that it took a full second to respond to the Event() getting set.

Fred: I think I did send a note to python-docs, but maybe I should file an SF doc bug?

At the same time, when you really do want timeout functionality, there isn't any other way to do it in a cross-platform way. I think most people claim they want a timeout when they really shouldn't, so I'd like to make the feature less accessible.

There are a number of procedural objections with regard to this patch (license, missing documentation); if you can add significant technical objections, that might be a reason to reject it - or to find a better alternative.

Well, I can't quite call this a "significant" technical objection, given that this is the only good cross-platform scheme in a threaded environment. I'm just whining because I don't like it anyway. ;-)

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