[Python-Dev] map, filter, reduce, lambda

[Andrew Koenig]

Guido> I'll have to think about this more.  lambda is annoying to me
Guido> because it adds so little compared to writing a one-line def.
Guido> But it makes sense for certain programming styles.

Yes -- there are times when notational compactness greatly aids mental
chunking.  And of course there are other times when notational
compactness stands in the way of comprehension.

Sometimes a single notation can do both at once, depending on the
reader's prior experience.  Consider the following C statement:

	 *p++ = *q++;

If you're an experienced programmer, the meaning of this statement
is immediately obvious; if not, it's obfuscation.

Similarly,

	 map(lambda x: x**2, data)

is really obvious to some people, and confusing to others, as is

	 [x**2 for x in data]

-- 
Andrew Koenig, ark@research.att.com, http://www.research.att.com/info/ark