24 May
2014
24 May
'14
8:14 p.m.
On Sat, May 24, 2014 at 2:11 PM, Markus Läll
So I would be +1 for adding a class to the base (as many would otherwise re-implement it anyway), but with no instances. The module could also state the policy behind the class, i.e "don't write defaults for widely used types/types that you didn't create yourself" or whatever else people agree upon.
There's not much point to adding a class with no instances, it's not exactly "re-implement" if it's just one line to define. Put another way, you can't say everyone "re-implements" it if there's no implementation! And since classes are global, it's anti-modular. It's ok to define non-modular but convenient things in your own program, but the standard library should emphasize modularity.