[Python-Dev] Re: More int/long integration issues (original) (raw)

Guido van Rossum guido@python.org
Thu, 20 Mar 2003 17:33:35 -0500

Guido van Rossum <guido@python.org> writes:

> The bytecode compiler should be clever enough to see that you're > writing > > for i in range(...): ... > > and that there's no definition of range other than the built-in one > (this requires a subtle change of language rules); it can then > substitute an internal equivalent to xrange(). Ouch! What happens to: def foo(seq): for x in seq: ... foo(xrange(small, reallybig)) if xrange dies??

Good point. I guess xrange() can't die until range() becomes an iterator (which can't be before Python 3.0).

Hm, maybe range() shouldn't be an iterator but an interator generator. No time to explain; see the discussion about restartable iterators.

--Guido van Rossum (home page: http://www.python.org/~guido/)