Zed Shaw’s recent Python Neglect article raises a few points that are unquestionably valid: easy_install and mx.DateTime suck big time, and it sounds like the email tools have some serious problems. But I would like to hear better explanations from him about:

• What the datetime module (introduced to replace mx.DateTime and fix shortcomings with the time module) is missing? It’s always handled everything I’ve thrown at it.
• What is wrong with optparse? Usage? Functionality? Implementation?

I also just plain don’t understand his complaint about del versus remove. I think mystuff.remove(mything) and del mystuff[4] do exactly the same thing, so what’s the problem? That del exists?

His promise to provide patches will be an interesting test of the Python community’s ability to judge patches on their objective merit, not by their contributor, since Shaw seems to have a tendency to ruffle feathers¹.

And a “WSGI for templating,” and efficient state machines with generators? Sounds exciting.

1. This is the pot calling the kettle black here. [↩]