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Date: Mon, 18 Aug 2014 01:15:57 +1000
Subject: Module-level functions and the module type
From: Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com>
To: "python-list@python.org" <python-list@python.org>
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Xref: csiph.com comp.lang.python:76433

In a class definition, you have explicit state parameters on your
functions - 'self':

class C:
    def foo(self, arg):
        # blah blah

At module level, there's equivalent state - the function "knows" what
module it came from - but it's implicit:

def foo(arg):
    # blah blah

print(foo.__globals__)

How hard would it be to unify these, and make modules into classes?
This would then allow stuff like properties, metaclasses, and so on,
all with exactly the same semantics as they have in classes.

Obviously this would be a huge backward-compatibility break if it
happened everywhere, but what I'm looking at here is a way to
basically bless this kind of concept:

# spam.py
class RealSpam:
    # module contents here

import sys
sys.modules[__name__] = RealSpam()


So the question is: Why is state implicit in one and explicit in the
other? Which option is really the better way to do things?

ChrisA