[Python-Dev] decorate-sort-undecorate

[Guido van Rossum]

> > What about the situation where you want the list sorted in reverse order? 
> > If you simply sort and then reverse the list you've broken the stability. 
> 
> Yes, that's the same thing Alex Martelli brought up.  You could also
> supply a cmp function, as Geoffrey Talvola suggested (though this will
> make the comparisons more costly).

Oops.  I misremembered Geoffrey's suggestion; he suggested two sorts
with a reverse() call in between.  I think that would have the same
problem.

--Guido van Rossum (home page: http://www.python.org/~guido/)