Sorting in reverse does not give the same result as sorting then reversing.
It's easiest to see with a key function: py> a = ['fox', 'dog', 'DOG', 'cat', 'ape'] py> b = a[:] py> a.sort(key=str.lower, reverse=True) py> b.sort(key=str.lower) py> b.reverse() py> a ['fox', 'dog', 'DOG', 'cat', 'ape'] py> b ['fox', 'DOG', 'dog', 'cat', 'ape'] Sorting in reverse keeps the initial order of any equal elements unchanged. Sorting, then reversing, reverses them. (Thanks to Tim Peters for the tip.) -- Steven -- https://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/python-list
