Why the Python 2, 3 compatibility package is named `six`?

Question:

Six provides simple utilities for wrapping over differences between Python 2 and Python 3. It is intended to support codebases that work on both Python 2 and 3 without modification. six consists of only one Python file, so it is painless to copy into a project.

I was always wondering why it is named six.

Asked By: Ivor Zhou

||

Answers:

The name, “six”, comes from the fact that 2*3 equals 6. Why not
addition? Multiplication is more powerful, and, anyway, “five” has
already been snatched away by the (admittedly now moribund) Zope Five
project.

Source

Answered By: Jon Kiparsky

Maybe because "six" = "back"? Like you can say "watch your six" meaning "watch your back".

Answered By: Alexander Avtanski
Categories: questions Tags: ,
Answers are sorted by their score. The answer accepted by the question owner as the best is marked with
at the top-right corner.