[Python-Dev] Single- vs. Multi-pass iterability

[David Abrahams]

From: "Barry A. Warsaw" <barry@zope.com>

>     CC> I don't think it is too late.  90% ++ of the python code base
>     CC> out there doesn't use iterators yet... people are still
>     CC> wrapping their minds around it to see how they can use it in
>     CC> their applications.  If it was publicly stated that this could
>     CC> be "fixed" in the next version I don't think that it would
>     CC> hurt.  These things happen, and sometimes its best to "roll
>     CC> back".  Programmers understand this.
>
> And besides (to continue Clark's devils advocacy), how much of the
> code out there that /does/ use iterators, calls .next() explicitly?

Hmm, I'm getting excited! We rarely get an opportunity to fix mistakes in
language design.

Probably someone will bring me back to reality shortly, though ;-)

Maybe I'll do it: the problem is really the iterators people have written.
However, you could implicitly generate __next__() which calls next() when
the result of __iter__() lacks a __next__() function... with a warning, of
course.

-Dave