dictionaries (was Re: new syntax - a provocation)

[Chris Pressey]

On Fri, 26 Sep 2003 16:35:43 +1200 (NZST)
"Richard A. O'Keefe" <ok@REDACTED> wrote:

> Now, if you are going to rewrite the dict module so that it uses some
> sort of special internal data structure, all you have to do to get to
> my proposal is adopt some syntax for these things as well, and why
> not?

That was my point.

To summarize: you asked, "Why not use the dict module?" and you gave a
bunch of reasons based on the current implementation, and I pointed out
that the representation of dicts is undefined - so the implementation of
the dict module is _irrelevant_ - so you *can* (and in fact we probably
*should* for the sake of easement) use the dict module (**interface**).

And in the quoted paragraph above you seem to realize that.  Boffo.  My
work here is done.  The rest of your message is commentary that dodges &
hovers around that central point.  Except for:

> We don't need a new interface for _that_, but do you really _like_
> the existing interface?  There were _reasons_ why I proposed a
> different interface.

It's not a matter of me _liking_ it.  It's a matter of there being
umpteen hundred (thousand?) lines of code already _written_ for it.

-Chris