[Python-Dev] PEP for adding an sq_index slot so that any object, a or b, can be used in X[a:b] notation

Mon Feb 13 21:55:14 CET 2006

Is there a reason __integer__ would be rejected?
Guido van Rossum answered:
> Given the number of folks who misappreciate the difference between
> __getattr__ and __getattribute__, I'm not sure I'd want to encourage
> using abbreviated and full forms of the same term in the same context.
> When confronted with the existence of __int__ and __integer__ I can
> see plenty of confusion ahead.

I see this case as slightly different.
getattr and getattribute are both things you might
reasonably want to do. __int__ is something you
probably shouldn't be doing very often anymore;
it is being kept for backwards compatibility.
Switching getattr and getattribute will cause bugs,
which may be hard to diagnose, even for people
who might reasonably be using the hooks. Switching
__int__ and (newname) won't matter, unless
__int__ was already doing something unexpected.
Since backwards compatibility means we can't
prevent __int__ from doing the unexpected, a
similar name might be *good* -- at least it would
tip people off that __int__ might not be what they
want.
I can't think of any way to associate getattr vs
getattribute with timing or precedence. I already
associate int with a specific C datatype and integer
with something more abstract. (I'm not sure the
new method is a better match for my integer
concept, and it probably isn't a better match
for java.lang.Integer, but ... the separation is there.)
-jJ