The standard documentation for isatty() says:
"Return True if the file is connected to a tty(-like) device, else
False. Note: If a file-like object is not associated with a real file,
this method should not be implemented."
In his book, "Text Processing in Python," David Mertz says: "...
implementing it to always return 0 is probably a better approach."
My reaction is to agree with Mertz. I'd appreciate hearing from someone
why the standard documentation is the way it is. Is there some concept of
a file-like, non-real file that is to be distinguished using the
non-implementation of isatty()? If this is the intention, then my
suggestion is that this distinction is too indirectly expressed, and a
more direct approach would be easier for non-language lawyers to
understand. For example, there could be an attribute "unreal" (or,
contrarily, "real").
Howard B. Golden
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