[Python-Dev] replacing 'global'

Wed Oct 22 01:02:56 EDT 2003

[Samuele]
> . suggests runtime, for compile time then maybe

Right, that's what I don't like about it.
> global::x=42
> module::x=42
>> outer::x=42
>> (I don't like those, and personally I don't see the need to get rebinding 
> for closed-over variables but anyway)

I don't like these either.
> another possibility is that today <name> <name> is a syntax error, so maybe
>> global x = 42 or
> module x = 42
>> they would not be statements, this for symmetry would also be legal:
>> y = module x + 1
>> then
>> outer x = 42
>> and also
>> y = g x + 1
>> the problems are also clear, in some other languages x y is function 
> application, etc..

Juxtaposition of names opens a whole lot of cans of worms -- for one,
it makes many more typos pass the parser.
--Guido van Rossum (home page: http://www.python.org/~guido/)