[Python-Dev] A hybrid C & Python implementation for itertools

[Nick Coghlan]

I can't really imagine Raymond liking this idea, and I have a feeling the idea 
has been shot down before. However, I can't persuade Google to tell me anything 
about such an occasion, so here goes anyway. . .

The utilities in the itertools module can easily be composed to provide 
additional useful functionality (e.g. the itertools recipes given in the 
documentation [1]).

However, having to recode these every time you need them, or arranging access to 
a utility module can be a pain for application programming in some corporate 
environments [2]. The lack of builtin support also leads to many variations on a 
theme, only some of which actually work properly, or which work, but in subtly 
different ways [3]. On the other hand, it really isn't worth the effort to code 
these algorithms in C for the current itertools module.

If itertools was a hybrid module, the handy 3-4 liners could go in the Python 
section, with the heavy lifting done by the underlying C module. The Python 
equivalents to the current C code could also be placed in the hybrid module (as 
happens with some of the other hybrid modules in the library).

An alternative approach is based on an idea from Alex Martelli [4]. As Alex 
points out, itertools is currently more about *creating* iterators than it is 
about consuming them (the only function desription that doesn't start with 'Make 
an iterator' is itertools.tee and that starts with 'Return n independent 
iterators'). Alex's idea would involve adding a module with a new name that is 
focused on *consuming* iterators (IOW, extending the available standard 
accumulators beyond the existing min(), max() and sum() without further 
populating the builtins).

The downside of the latter proposal is that the recipes in the itertools 
documentation relate both to producing *and* consuming iterators, so a new 
module would leave the question of where to put the handy iterator producers.

Regards,
Nick.

[1] http://www.python.org/dev/doc/devel/lib/itertools-recipes.html
[2] http://mail.python.org/pipermail/python-list/2005-February/266310.html
[3] http://mail.python.org/pipermail/python-list/2005-February/266311.html
[4] http://groups-beta.google.com/group/comp.lang.python/msg/a76b4c2caf6c435c

-- 
Nick Coghlan   |   ncoghlan at email.com   |   Brisbane, Australia
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