[Python-Dev] A Hygienic Macro System in Python? (original) (raw)

Samuele Pedroni pedroni@inf.ethz.ch
Mon, 18 Mar 2002 23:06:10 +0100

From: Guido van Rossum <guido@python.org>

> I think I understand why macros work so well with Common Lisp. In > Common Lisp, the AST is really a list. The AST is easy to read and > write and it's easy to make macros transform it. That gives Common > Lisp programmer's an amazing amount of power. Maybe Guido thinks it > gives them too much. Myself, I don't know. Most of the time you > don't need macros but when you do you really do.

It's not that I think it gives too much power, but I do think it's wasted on most users. An open question is whether it's worth adding the complexity for the few who would benefit.

Maybe an approach with an higher entry cost, such as opening up for extension the parser-compiler would be more pythonic.

regards.