[Edu-sig] Fw: Python sequences by reference - how to make clear

[Guido van Rossum]

> > What specific little amendment did you have in mind?  And please
> > don't tell me that it's my job as the language designer to fix it.
> > If I thought it could be fixed I would have, now wouldn't I?
> 
> Couching it in as many disclaimers of ignorance of the full
> implications of the suggestion as I know how, I thought I had made
> the suggestion clear.  That "copy" be a built_in, rather than
> imported functionality. If feasible, I am suggesting (rather, feel
> confident) that "little" change would be a big help - especially to
> the self-directed learner.

Sorry, I may have missed that suggestion amidst your rhetoric.

Assuming you're lobbying for a builtin named copy(), should it be a
deep copy or a shallow copy?

--Guido van Rossum (home page: http://www.python.org/~guido/)