[Python-Dev] For review: PEP 285: Adding a bool type (original) (raw)

Guido van Rossum guido@python.org
Sun, 10 Mar 2002 09:43:11 -0500

(This is a serious question) How do you imagine bool presented to (non-programmer) newbies.

Not presented. Presented disjunct from int at the beginning. Using the notion of subtyping/subclassing. Operationally: True == 1 False == 0 etc .

Good point. The tutorial needs to be updated. I propose not to make a big deal from it, but to mention that (a) you get bools from most propositions, (b) False==0, True==1, (c) most other objects are also usable as Boolean values, e.g. "" is false, "x" is true. Needs to distinguish clearly between False and True (the specific bool values) and more general falsehood/truth.

--Guido van Rossum (home page: http://www.python.org/~guido/)