[Python-Dev] Re: [Python-checkins] python/dist/src/Include compile.h,2.38,2.39 parsetok.h,2.19,2.20 pyerrors.h,2.63,2.64 pythonrun.h,2.55,2.56 symtable.h,2.10,2.11 (original) (raw)

Tim Peters tim@zope.com
Wed, 11 Dec 2002 12:01:32 -0500

[M.-A. Lemburg, on constification]

I remember Tim opposing such changes (and Greg Stein insisting on them ;-). AFAIK, this breaks third party code since some compilers simply reject casting char* to const char*.

A non-broken compiler always allowd passing a

T

actual argument to a

const T

formal argument, so I never object to those, and indeed I sneak const into prototype arglists whenever it's convenient.

That's a different issue than making all of Python "const correct", which has been a near boundlessly low bang-for-the-buck effort in every project I've seen undertake it. Try passing a

const T*

actual argument to a

T*

formal argument and a non-broken compiler will complain, and then either casts have to proliferate, or consts have to proliferate, to stop the errors. Sometimes this is called "const poisoning", at least by objective observers .