[Python-Dev] PEP 318: Let's not give in to FUD (original) (raw)

Michael Hudson mwh at python.net
Fri Apr 2 11:34:02 EST 2004

Barry Warsaw <barry at python.org> writes:

If tomorrow this same code means something different, users looking at the code will have to know what version of Python they're using, and make sure it's the right one ("uh, how do I do that?"). If they were to use decorator-before-def code in an older version of Python, the program would be accepted but silently do the wrong thing.

At least with decorator-before-colon trying to run the code in older interpreters will barf loudly.

I think this is a good point that hadn't occurred to me: silent failures suck.

Cheers, mwh

-- Like most people, I don't always agree with the BDFL (especially when he wants to change things I've just written about in very large books), ... -- Mark Lutz, http://python.oreilly.com/news/python_0501.html

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