<[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Many people I know ask why Python does slicing the way it does.....
Half open intervals are just one way of doing things. Each approach has its own merits and issues. Python's way has some useful properties: * s == s[:i] + s[i:] * len(s[i:j]) == j-i # if s is long enough OTOH, it has some aspects that bite: * It is awkward with negative strides such as with s[4:2:-1]. This was the principal reason for introducing the reversed() function. * It makes some people cringe when they first see it (you're obviously in that group). I suspect that whether it feels natural depends on your previous background and whether you're working in an environment with arrays indexed from one or from zero. For instance, C programmers are used to seeing code like: for(i=0 ; i<n; i++) a[i]=f(i); In contrast, a BASIC programmer may be used to FOR I = 1 to N: a[I]=f(I); NEXT. Hence, the C coders may find Python's a[:n] to be more natural than BASIC programmers. As long as a language is consistent about its approach, you just get used to it and it stops being an issue after a few days. Raymond Hettinger -- http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/python-list
