[Python-Dev] Re: PEP 279 revisited

[holger krekel]

On Wed, Apr 24, 2002 at 08:47:25AM -0400, Guido van Rossum wrote:

> > btw, i usually don't need an extra numbering for my dictionaries.
> > If really in need i would write
> > 
> >     list = dict.items()
> >     for index,item in items(list): ...
> > 
> > using the above semantics.
> 
> That's another argument why what this function (whatever it's called)
> does on dicts is irrelevant: you wouldn't want to use it on a dict
> anyway.  It's something for sequences and iterators.

Is it really a bad idea then to make 'this function' return
something useful for mapping types? 

This could also resolve the 'only rough analogy' problem for the 
name 'itemize' versus 'items'.  (Although these two are really 
different words it is a little confusing even to demi-gods:-)

  holger