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

[Eric S. Raymond]

Guido van Rossum <guido@python.org>:
> Hm, no.  'element' for a loop control variable seems too long (I'd be
> happy with 'x' but Greg Wilson used 'element').  However I like
> 'element' as the argument name because it can be used as a keyword
> argument and then it's better spelled out in full.  I think Greg
> Wilson used 'item' most of the time; I prefer to be consistent and say
> 'element' all the time since that's the accepted set terminology.

Briefly reverting to type as a logician, Eric applauds.  Sometimes I
tell you not to sweat what the my ex-colleagues will think, but this
is a case in which using mathemtically-correct terminology will *not*
obscure the difference between stateless/mathematical reasoning and
stateful/programming reasoning, and is therefore a good idea.
-- 
		<a href="http://www.tuxedo.org/~esr/">Eric S. Raymond</a>