This makes sense (arithmetic comparison): >>> 3 > 5 0 This makes sense (lexigraphic comparison): >>> 'a' > 'b' 0 BUT, *this* does not make sense: >>> '5' > 3 1 What in the world is supposed to be the semantics of comparing a string with an integer? Seems like a type trap... -- Frank Tobin http://www.neverending.org/~ftobin/