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A modest PEP0238 suggestion

Guido van Rossum guido at python.org
Wed Jul 25 01:12:17 EDT 2001 
paul at svensson.org (Paul Svensson) writes:

(Thanks for your nice table, BTW.)

> The only choices that make sense to me here are, either we break stuff,
> or we do nothing.  Either way, we'll most likely have to revisit the
> issue if/when syntax for rationals is to be added to the language.

Actually, adding rationals can be done almost entirely without
breaking code...  That is, *if* we adopt PEP-238 now.  Changing 1/2
from returning a float to returning a rational won't have to break
code, since the mathematical value of the result is the same.
Changing it from returning 0 to returning a rational isn't any easier
than changing it from returning 0 to returning a float -- exactly the
same places will have to be changed.

If you're for rationals, you're for PEP-238.

--Guido van Rossum (home page: http://www.python.org/~guido/)
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