[Python-Dev] Re: PEP 218 (sets); moving set.py to Lib

[Raymond Hettinger]

[GvR]
> > But for now, I'll just leave sort_repr=False in.

[FP] 
> As long as users do not discover it, they will not use it! :-)

Just to make sure, why not move sort_repr=False out of the parameter
list and into the code body.

[FP]
> By the way (this was discussed on Python list a while ago), it might
> be worth stressing in the official documentation that dicts, and maybe
> Sets as well, all have a "natural" iteration order which remains fixed at
> least while the dict or Set does not loose or acquire keys, and that this
> same fixed order is used for .items(), .keys(), .values(), and all three
> .iter* flavours.  It is sometimes useful being able to rely on this fact,
> especially if Python clearly commits itself through the documentation.

Just like stability for the new list.sort(), this promise ought to remain
a hidden, undocumented implementation detail.  Because of collision
resolution, the "natural" order can vary depending on the order that
the keys are inserted.  While the ordering stays constant until there
is a change, it is fragile and could be changed by a resize operation
even if the keys remain the same.  Let's keep the options open here
in case someday we want GC or a memory manager to rebuild the
dictionary at an arbitrary time.


Raymond Hettinger