> Those most eager for unicode identifiers are afraid that people > (particularly beginning students) won't be able to use local-script > identifiers, unless it is the default. My feeling is that the teacher > (or the person who pointed them to python) can change the default on a > per-install basis, since it can be a one-time change.
What if the person discovers Python by him/herself? > On the other hand, if "anything from *any* script" becomes the > default, even on a single widespread distribution, then the community > starts to splinter in a new way. It starts to separate between people > who distribute source code (generally ASCII) and people who are > effectively distributing binaries (not for human end-users to read). That is FUD. > Hopefully, I can set my own python to enforce ASCII IDs (rather than > ASCII strings and comments). But if too many people start to assume > that distributed code can freely mix other scripts, I'll start to get > random failures. I'll probably allow Latin-1. I might end up > allowing a few other scripts -- but then how should I say "script X or > script Y; not both"? Keeping the default at ASCII for another release > or two will provide another release or two to answer this question. Answer what question? If people will use the feature? Ofcourse they won't if it isn't default. > > ... Java, ... don't hear constant complaints > > They aren't actually a problem because they aren't used; they aren't > used because almost no one knows about them. Python would presumably > advertise the feature, and see more use. (We shouldn't add it at all > *unless* we expect much more usage than unicode IDs have seen in other > programming languages.) Every Swedish book I've read about Java (only 2) mentioned that feature. > The same one-step-at-a-time reasoning applies to unicode identifers. > Allowing IDs in your native language (or others that you explicitly > approve) is probably a good step. Allowing IDs in *any* language by > default is probably going too far. If you set different native languages won't you get the exact same problems that codepages caused and that unicode was invented to solve? -- mvh Björn _______________________________________________ Python-3000 mailing list [email protected] http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/python-3000 Unsubscribe: http://mail.python.org/mailman/options/python-3000/archive%40mail-archive.com
