title: What's the point of os.error?
body: <p>Why does Python's <code>os</code> module contain <a href="http://docs.python.org/library/os.html#os.error" rel="noreferrer"><code>error</code>, an alias for <code>OSError</code></a>?</p>
  
  <p>Is there a reason to ever spell it <code>os.error</code>? <code>OSError</code> certainly seems more consistent with all the other built-in exceptions.</p>
  
  <p>I hoped <code>os.py</code> would shed some light, but it uses <code>error</code> sometimes and <code>OSError</code> others.</p>
  
  <p>It seems goofy to have an extra name for one of the exceptions, yet it survives into Python 3.0. What am I missing?</p>