Guido rethinking removal of cmp from sort method

Sat Apr 2 07:14:59 EDT 2011

I suspect that this debate is a sink hole that I won't be able to 
escape from alive but...
On 2 Apr 2011, at 19:29, harrismh777 wrote:
> In other words, does the PSF have a responsibility to maintain the 
> L.sort(cmp= key= reverse=) interface for strictly *philosophical* 
> principle based on established norms for *any* OOP language? (and) 
> is there OOA&D expectation for this principle?

No, there should be no expectation that Python 2.x interfaces be 
preserved in Python 3.x unless they have demonstrated utility. 
Furthermore, there should be no expectation that a particular 
interface survive for more than a few major Python versions. PEP-004 
describes how deprecations are expected to proceed at module 
granularity.
> The rest of the thread is arguing for a *technical* determination 
> for inclusion of the cmp= keyword... I am arguing (on the other 
> hand) for a *philosophical* determination for inclusion of the cmp= 
> keyword.

Any argument along what you call "philosophical" grounds will not be 
successful. Technical (including aesthetic, convenience, etc.) 
arguments *may* be successful.
Cheers,
Brian