Python for the Future Generations (A. Ronacher)

• python is whatever cpython does, there's no standard
• all other implementations have to copy the quirks
• example: a + b is complicated in python: add, implementation quirks, etc.
• backwards compatibility is valued in python community...
  • also in packaging...
  • and the GIL
  • one exception was python3 - both too radical and also not radical enough

What we do good

• interpreter code is readable,
• dependency hierarchies are flat,
• runtime introspection is good.

What we can improve

• packaging
  • package.json, Cargo.toml -- package metadata
    • no code run on install
    • packages can introspect their own version and dependencies.
  • where are we now
    • mostly people use pip instead of setup.py install,
      • we could get away from setup.py
• language standard
  • but nobody would want to make current implementation the standard,
  • maybe micropython could lead the way,
  • kill extension API, use CFFI, fix the docs to recommend it!
• unicode:
  • internal encoding in Rust:
    • utf-8 everywhere
    • wtf-8 where it doesn't work
  • Python has dynamically upgrading strings: 1 byte per char -> 2 bpc -> 4 bpc
  • we should probably go to using utf-8 instead
    • we'll lose string slicing and constant time character access but that's ok
• only use CFFI
  • hard for things like numpy
  • generally possible for most others
• linters and type annotations:
  • babel,
  • typescript, flow,
  • one true formatting style would help.

What can we do personally

• Abuse the language less