Python's bitwise NOT operator ~ applied to True returns -2 instead of False due to bool subclassing int. A proposal to deprecate this behavior in Python 3.16 has ignited active discussions. The article investigates the underlying reasons for this quirk.
Key Points
- 1.~True returns -2 as True=1 and ~1=-2 in two's complement
- 2.Booleans subclass int, enabling bitwise ops on them
- 3.Python 3.16 PEP proposes deprecation of this behavior
- 4.Community debates intensify over the change impacts
Impact Analysis
This deprecation could break legacy ML scripts using bitwise ops on booleans. AI practitioners should prepare by auditing codebases early to avoid future compatibility issues.
Technical Details
True is internally 1; bitwise NOT inverts all bits, yielding -2 via two's complement arithmetic. The PEP aims to restrict booleans to logical ops only, raising TypeError otherwise.
