[Python-Dev] Things to Know About Super (original) (raw)

michele.simionato at gmail.com michele.simionato at gmail.com
Sun Aug 24 12:19:54 CEST 2008

Recently I have opened a blog on Artima and I am publishing a few Python-related essays I had in store. In particular a trilogy of papers about "super". From the foreword:

""" In 2004 I decided to write a comprehensive paper documenting super pitfalls and traps, with the goal of publishing it on the Python web site, just as I had published my essay on multiple inheritance and the Method Resolution Order_. With time the paper grew longer and longer but I never had the feeling that I had covered everything I needed to say: moreover I have a full time job, so I never had the time to fully revise the paper as a whole. As a consequence, four years have passed and the paper is still in draft status. This is a pity, since it documents issues that people encounter and that regularly come out on the Python newsgroups and forums.

Keeping the draft sitting on my hard disk is doing a disservice to the community. Still, I lack to time to finish it properly. To come out from the impasse, I decided to split the long paper in a series of short blog posts, which I do have the time to review properly. Moreover people are free to post comments and corrections in case I am making mistakes (speaking about super this is always possible). Once I finish the series, I may integrate the corrections, put it together again and possibly publish it as whole on the Python website. In other words, in order to finish the task, I am trying the strategies of divide et conquer and release early, release often. We will see how it goes. """

It seems the strategy worked since I have finished the paper, by splitting it in three post. Actually, it it not really finished because it does not say anything about the new super in Python 3.0, but that could do in a separate essay. Here I am asking for feedback/corrections. Moreover if people think it is worthy idea, I can re-assemble the paper again, donate it to the PSF and publish it on the Python website.

        Michele Simionato

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