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

Ka-Ping Yee ping@lfw.org
Wed, 3 Apr 2002 16:53:55 -0600 (CST)

Guido van Rossum wrote:

False and True are numbers [...]

That's exactly where this falls down.

Patrick O'Brien wrote:

[...] True and False could be dictionary keys separate from 0 and 1.

Guido van Rossum wrote:

No. That would break backwards compatibility. False==0, and True==1; everything else follows from that. (But False is not 0, and True is not 1!)

This is a strange distinction to make -- one that is not made in any other programming language i have ever encountered. Of course i get it and you get it -- but it will be so hard to teach this particular weirdness that i consider it fatal to the proposal.

-- ?!ng