Guido van Rossum wrote:
Aahz:
Hrm. Even when it's something that's supposed to be immutable? I'm asking because I'm currently using a tuple for the digit list in my BCD module, and I'd like a clearer explanation of why you think that it should be a list (assuming you do).
From my viewpoint, the BCD digit string should be handled like a string; I'm only using a tuple for efficiency of storing numbers instead of characters.
Can't you trust your users not to change it?
Sure, but then I can't just copy references to the tuple when creating a copy of an instance, I'd have to copy the entire list. That's what I meant by efficiency. There are important semantic differences coming from the fact that tuples are immutable and lists are mutable, and I think that a strict heterogeneous/homogenous distinction loses that. -- --- Aahz (@pobox.com) Hugs and backrubs -- I break Rule 6 <*> http://www.rahul.net/aahz/ Androgynous poly kinky vanilla queer het Pythonista We must not let the evil of a few trample the freedoms of the many.