[Python-Dev] range() as iterator (Re: More int/long integration issues)

[M.-A. Lemburg]

Guido van Rossum wrote:
>>I'd like to work on this.  I've already written a C range() iterator
>>(incorporating PyLongs), and it would be very nice to have it
>>automatically be a lazy range() when used in a loop.
>>
>>In any case, assuming you are quite busy, but would consider this for
>>the 2.4 timeframe, I will do some work on it. If it is already being
>>covered, I'll gladly stay away from it. :)
> 
> range() can't be changed from returning a list until at least Python
> 3.0.

Is this change really necessary ? Instead of changing the semantics
of range() why not have the byte code compiler optimize it's typical
usage:

for i in range(10):
    pass

In the above case, changing the byte code compiler output would
not introduce any change in semantics. Even better, the compiler
could get rid off the function call altogether.

-- 
Marc-Andre Lemburg
eGenix.com

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