Interesting; I never thought of that analogy to Python. I've just had it drilled into my head from everything I've ever read about C++ that "using namespace std" is terrible, and I shouldn't use it.
Except the analogy to Python lacks one critical point: C++ headers and Python imports do not work in nearly the same way. Do not EVER use a "using namespace <foo>" in a header file; any code that #include's such a header will pull this in.
In .cpp files it's ok (and almost required if you're using boost, unless you want boost::foo:bar::type everywhere). It still requires a bit of thought, though.
In .cpp files it's ok (and almost required if you're using boost, unless you want boost::foo:bar::type everywhere). It still requires a bit of thought, though.