[Python-Dev] Re: Source-level backward compatibility requirements -logging and apply() (original) (raw)

Greg Ewing greg at cosc.canterbury.ac.nz
Tue Dec 9 19:40:06 EST 2003

Fredrik Lundh <fredrik at pythonware.com>:

in my experience, you always lose your audience when you introduce the callable(*args, **kwargs) syntax, and you don't get them back until you explain that the notion is apply(callable, args, kwargs).

What sort of example are you using to introduce it? Have you taught them about the * and ** syntaxes in function definitions first?

The main use case motivating it is passing on * and ** arguments to an overridden method, and when seen in that context it looks almost self-explanatory, in my opinion.

Greg Ewing, Computer Science Dept, +--------------------------------------+ University of Canterbury, | A citizen of NewZealandCorp, a | Christchurch, New Zealand | wholly-owned subsidiary of USA Inc. | greg at cosc.canterbury.ac.nz +--------------------------------------+

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