Re: [Python-Dev] List copy and clear (was Re: Inconsistent API for sets.Set and build-in set)

Raymond Hettinger wrote:

Use copy.copy() for generic copying -- it works across a wide range of objects. Alternatively, use the constructor as generic way to make duplicates:

dup = set(s) dup = list(l) dup = dict(d) dup = tuple(t) # note, the duplicate is original object here :-)

I know all this, but why then is there a copy method for sets and dictionaries? What justification is valid for sets and dictionaries that doesn't apply to lists? Regards, Nicolas