[Python-Dev] re: Tutorial: Brief Introduction to the Standard Library (original) (raw)

Kevin J. Butler python-kbutler at sabaydi.com
Thu Dec 4 16:27:31 EST 2003

From: Arthur <ajsiegel at optonline.net>

What is fundamentally wrong with copy(list) as an alternative to list[:]?

Well, copy(list) doesn't contain an emoticon of two beady little eyes peeking out of a box, for one. ;-)

The opposite question, "What is fundamentally wrong with list[:]..." has an easy answer:

It takes experience or explanation of slicing to know what it does.
copy(list) is easy even for novices to understand.

When I know my code will be read by people unfamiliar with Python, I tend to annotate use of slices something like:

list[:] # copy the list

Python usually makes it easier to avoid sacrificing clarity on the altar of micro-optimization, but since the slice is the idiomatically correct way to spell copy(list) in Python, that's the way to write it.

kb

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