On Sat, 13 Dec 2008 06:00:09 -0800, bearophileHUGS wrote: > Steven D'Aprano: >> The algorithm is unclear: try explaining what you are doing in English, >> and see how difficult it is. > > That algorithm is a standard one, and quite clear. Any programmer worth > his/her/hir salt has to be able to understand that.
I didn't say it can't be understood. But please, if you think it is quite clear, go ahead and explain how it works, and how you know the algorithm is correct and there are no odd corner cases where it fails. As my comp sci lecturer used to say, "prove the algorithm is correct". Remember, Terry made a specific claim: the algorithm is simpler and cleaner than Tim's copy-the-values-that-aren't-None solution. It's not just clear, it's significantly clearer: "No, making a filtered copy that is then copied back before being deleted is algorithmically much messier. My code does the minimum work necessary and is algorithmically cleaner." Do you agree with Terry's claim? -- Steven -- http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/python-list