Path: csiph.com!v102.xanadu-bbs.net!xanadu-bbs.net!feeder.erje.net!eu.feeder.erje.net!lightspeed.eweka.nl!lightspeed.eweka.nl!newsfeed.xs4all.nl!newsfeed1.news.xs4all.nl!xs4all!newsgate.cistron.nl!newsgate.news.xs4all.nl!post.news.xs4all.nl!not-for-mail Return-Path: X-Original-To: python-list@python.org Delivered-To: python-list@mail.python.org X-Spam-Status: OK 0.003 X-Spam-Evidence: '*H*': 0.99; '*S*': 0.00; 'club.': 0.09; 'objects,': 0.09; 'received:80.91': 0.09; 'received:80.91.229': 0.09; 'received:gmane.org': 0.09; 'received:list': 0.09; 'python': 0.11; 'jan': 0.12; 'invokes': 0.16; 'objects;': 0.16; 'received:80.91.229.3': 0.16; 'received:plane.gmane.org': 0.16; 'reedy': 0.16; 'wrote:': 0.18; 'issue.': 0.22; 'manual': 0.22; 'header:User-Agent:1': 0.23; 'mathematical': 0.24; 'people,': 0.24; 'references': 0.26; 'header:X-Complaints-To:1': 0.27; 'header:In-Reply-To:1': 0.27; 'nature': 0.30; "skip:' 10": 0.31; 'subject:the': 0.34; 'objects': 0.35; 'there': 0.35; 'explains': 0.36; 'skip:- 20': 0.37; 'to:addr:python-list': 0.38; 'pm,': 0.38; 'rather': 0.38; 'to:addr:python.org': 0.39; 'received:org': 0.40; 'called': 0.40; 'frequently': 0.68; 'containing': 0.69; 'received:fios.verizon.net': 0.84 X-Injected-Via-Gmane: http://gmane.org/ To: python-list@python.org From: Terry Reedy Subject: Re: What the Pythons docs means by "container" ? Date: Tue, 17 Feb 2015 19:54:32 -0500 References: <71e8463f-2a60-4fb0-a5b7-0ca7cd3efece@googlegroups.com> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8; format=flowed Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Gmane-NNTP-Posting-Host: pool-98-114-97-173.phlapa.fios.verizon.net User-Agent: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows NT 6.1; WOW64; rv:31.0) Gecko/20100101 Thunderbird/31.4.0 In-Reply-To: <71e8463f-2a60-4fb0-a5b7-0ca7cd3efece@googlegroups.com> X-BeenThere: python-list@python.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.15 Precedence: list List-Id: General discussion list for the Python programming language List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , Newsgroups: comp.lang.python Message-ID: Lines: 17 NNTP-Posting-Host: 2001:888:2000:d::a6 X-Trace: 1424220887 news.xs4all.nl 2942 [2001:888:2000:d::a6]:38540 X-Complaints-To: abuse@xs4all.nl X-Received-Bytes: 3338 X-Received-Body-CRC: 2844517793 Xref: csiph.com comp.lang.python:85761 On 2/17/2015 4:21 PM, candide wrote: > Official Python documentation very frequently invokes a mysterious *container* data structure. The PLR manual explains : I use 'collection' rather than 'container'. > -------------------------- > Some objects contain references to other objects; these are called containers. > -------------------------- A mathematical set has 'members', like a club. Objects, like people, can be members of 0 to many clubs. Containing 'references', and the nature of said references is a computer implementation issue. There are no 'references' in math. -- Terry Jan Reedy