[Python-Dev] {}.popitem() (was Re: {}.first[key,value,item] ...)

[Guido van Rossum]

> Fredrik Lundh wrote:
> > 
> > christian wrote:
> > > That algorithm is really a gem which you should know,
> > > so let me try to explain it.
> > 
> > I think someone just won the "brain exploder 2000" award ;-)
> > 
> > to paraphrase Bertrand Russell,
> > 
> >     "Mathematics may be defined as the subject where I never
> >     know what you are talking about, nor whether what you are
> >     saying is true"
> 
> :-))
> 
> Well, I was primarily targeting Guido, who said that he
> came from math, and one cannot study math without standing
> a basic algebra course, I think. I tried my best to explain
> it for those who know at least how groups, fields, rings
> and automorphisms work. Going into more details of the
> theory would be off-topic for python-dev, but I will try
> it in an upcoming DDJ article.

I do have a math degree, but it is 18 years old and I had to give up
after the first paragraph of your explanation.  It made me vividly
recall the first and only class on Galois Theory that I ever took --
after one hour I realized that this was not for me and I didn't have a
math brain after all.  I went back to the basement where the software
development lab was (i.e. a row of card punches :-).

> As you might have guessed, I didn't do this just for fun.
> It is the old game of explaining what is there, convincing
> everybody that you at least know what you are talking about,
> and then three days later coming up with an improved
> application of the theory.
> 
> Today is Monday, 2 days left. :-)

I'm very impressed.

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