15.6. When to Use Class and Static Object-Oriented Features¶
You’ll rarely need class methods, class attributes, and static methods. They’re also prone to overuse. If you’re thinking, “Why can’t I just use a function or global variable instead?” this is a hint that you probably don’t need to use a class method, class attribute, or static method. The only rea- son this intermediate-level book covers them is so you can recognize them when you encounter them in code, but I’m not encouraging you to use them. They can be useful if you’re creating your own framework with an elaborate family of classes that are, in turn, expected to be subclassed by programmers using the framework. But you most likely won’t need them when you’re writing straightforward Python applications.
For more discussion on these features and why you do or don’t need them, read Phillip J. Eby’s post “Python Is Not Java” at https://dirtsimple.org/ 2004/12/python-is-not-java.html and Ryan Tomayko’s “The Static Method Thing” at https://tomayko.com/blog/2004/the-static-method-thing.