Choosing a programming language as a competitive tool

[Andrew Dalke]

Alex Martelli wrote:
>"Konrad Hinsen" <hinsen at cnrs-orleans.fr> wrote
>> Python lists correspond exactly to what they call lists in
>> their daily life!
>
>Maybe to some of them -- if order is "somewhat important", but
>not TOO much.
>
>> Konrad, who doesn't link items on his shopping lists.
>
>Suppose for the sake of argument that you do not care at
>all about the order of items on your shopping lists.  Then,
>they're really sets.

The platonic ideal of a shopping list is really more like
sets, but they are implemented using a list, which is why
there are usability problems with order and with duplicates.
It's that implementation that more people are used to using.

And shopping lists aren't even lists, because I can write
them in all sorts of non-linear ways, like:

  Stuff for cake:
    flour
    frosting:
       powdered sugar
       cocoa
       mint(?)
    ...
  Pie
    Apple or cherry?
    shortening
    (draw arrow to flour item under cake)


So once again, real life analogs break down if you look
too close.

                    Andrew
                    dalke at acm.org