[Python-Dev] redefining is (original) (raw)

Neil Schemenauer nas-python at python.ca
Fri Mar 19 15:15:05 EST 2004

On Fri, Mar 19, 2004 at 03:02:54PM -0500, Andrew Koenig wrote:

I disagree: There are some contexts that are already written into the Python language--a fact that gives those contexts a status beyond mere application dependence. In particular, the language says that when you use a particular string literal in a program, you may or may not get the same object, but if you get two different objects, there will be no way to distinguish those objects from each other without examining their identity.

sys.getrefcount() :-)

That is not a notion I made up, nor is it dependent on any particular application. It's already part of Python.

Okay, but I don't see why that implementation detail is important.

So what I'm claiming is that there should be a way of asking: Given two objects, is there any way to distinguish them aside from their identity?

Why do you need to ask that question? Further more, why is it important enough to require a builtin operator?

Neil

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