builtin type inconsistency

[aleaxit]

BPO	699312
Nosy	@loewis, @aleaxit
Files	bool.patch: patch fixing the problem & testing the fix too

^{Note: these values reflect the state of the issue at the time it was migrated and might not reflect the current state.}

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GitHub fields:

assignee = None
closed_at = <Date 2003-04-19.21:13:57.000>
created_at = <Date 2003-03-07.10:59:08.000>
labels = ['library']
title = 'builtin type inconsistency'
updated_at = <Date 2003-04-19.21:13:57.000>
user = 'https://github.com/aleaxit'

bugs.python.org fields:

activity = <Date 2003-04-19.21:13:57.000>
actor = 'loewis'
assignee = 'none'
closed = True
closed_date = None
closer = None
components = ['Library (Lib)']
creation = <Date 2003-03-07.10:59:08.000>
creator = 'aleax'
dependencies = []
files = ['821']
hgrepos = []
issue_num = 699312
keywords = []
message_count = 6.0
messages = ['15010', '15011', '15012', '15013', '15014', '15015']
nosy_count = 2.0
nosy_names = ['loewis', 'aleax']
pr_nums = []
priority = 'normal'
resolution = 'fixed'
stage = None
status = 'closed'
superseder = None
type = None
url = 'https://bugs.python.org/issue699312'
versions = ['Python 2.3']

[aleaxit]

many builtin types can be called without arguments, yielding
the 'false' (zero/empty) instance of their type. However,
others can't. why is int()==0 but calling bool() raises an
exception rather than returning False? I consider this
irregularity a tiny bug. Arguably slice() should also return
the same result as slice(None), again for regularity, but this
is admittedly iffier.

[loewis]

Logged In: YES
user_id=21627

I agree this is a bug, also I personally would not care
enough to fix it.

Would you like to work on a patch? I guess if your
observation is a principle to be followed, it needs to be
documented, also.

[aleaxit]

Logged In: YES
user_id=60314

submitted a patch for it today, an easy fix, but can't find it here on
SF as patches -- HMMM!!!. So I'm uploading it again here just in
case. No doc fixes as there is strictly speaking no NEED to
document this regularity I think, just no reason to make it into an
IR-regularity just for bool...

[loewis]

Logged In: YES
user_id=21627

This was committed as

NEWS 1.736
boolobject.c 1.6
test_types.py 1.49
test_bool.py 1.8

[loewis]

Logged In: YES
user_id=21627

I see now what happened: The patch was 724135, and Guido had
checked it in, and closed it, when tried to find it. SF
should have send you an email both when telling you about
the patch submission, and when Guido was closing it.

[loewis]

Logged In: YES
user_id=21627

Another remark: It is always a good idea to cross-link
patches and bug reports: When submitting a patch, indicate
what bug it fixes. On the bug patch, add a comment which
patch has been submitted.