[Python-Dev] Code Generation Idea Was: Bytecode idea

[Skip Montanaro]

    >> None is moving slowly toward becoming a true constant.  Perhaps the
    >> same should be true of True and False.

    Guido> Problem with this is that there's currently lots of code out
    Guido> there that was recently modified to read

    Guido>   try:
    Guido>     True
    Guido>   except NameError:
    Guido>     True = 1
    Guido>     False = 0

    Guido> That would become a syntax error if True/False were true
    Guido> constants. :-(

Hmmm...  Those code blocks would only be executed on older versions of the
interpreter.  Is there some way to use that knowledge to finesse the
problem?  It would be a real hack, but if the compiler recognized precisely
the above construct (or at least assignment in an except block guarded by
NameError), it could shut up about the assignment.

Skip