Ned Batchelder ned@nedbatchelder.com writes:
This is another place where Python is inconsistent. We're told, "lists are for homogenous sequences of varying length, like a C array; tuples are for heterogenous aggregations of known length, like a C struct."
I think that's a poor rendition of the distinction. Rather, what I advise is: if the *meaning* of an item depends on its position in the sequence (like with a C struct), use a tuple. If the meaning of an item is unaffected by its position in the sequence, use a list.
Then we define a function foo(*args), and Python gives us a tuple! :-(
Yes, exactly: the positional arguments to the function are *not* a homogeneous sequence, so a list doesn't connote the right thing. The position is important – we call them “positional arguments” – so a tuple makes sense.