Return-Path: X-Original-To: python-list@python.org Delivered-To: python-list@mail.python.org X-Spam-Status: OK 0.005 X-Spam-Evidence: '*H*': 0.99; '*S*': 0.00; 'facts': 0.09; 'received:80.91': 0.09; 'received:80.91.229': 0.09; 'received:gmane.org': 0.09; 'received:list': 0.09; '\xe2\x80\x94': 0.09; 'better:': 0.16; 'collections': 0.16; 'finney': 0.16; 'received:80.91.229.3': 0.16; 'received:plane.gmane.org': 0.16; 'reedy': 0.16; 'demonstrate': 0.16; ':-)': 0.16; 'wrote:': 0.18; 'header:User-Agent:1': 0.23; 'law.': 0.26; 'header:X-Complaints- To:1': 0.27; "i'm": 0.30; 'that.': 0.31; "d'aprano": 0.31; 'provided,': 0.31; 'steven': 0.31; 'them?': 0.31; 'writes:': 0.31; 'implemented': 0.33; 'subject:the': 0.34; 'there': 0.35; "i'll": 0.36; 'should': 0.36; 'virtual': 0.37; 'ben': 0.38; 'to:addr :python-list': 0.38; 'sure': 0.39; 'to:addr:python.org': 0.39; 'received:org': 0.40; 'hardware': 0.61; 'believe': 0.68; 'received:125': 0.84 X-Injected-Via-Gmane: http://gmane.org/ To: python-list@python.org From: Ben Finney Subject: Re: What the Pythons docs means by "container" ? Date: Thu, 19 Feb 2015 11:05:52 +1100 References: <71e8463f-2a60-4fb0-a5b7-0ca7cd3efece@googlegroups.com> <472c49ae-c2ce-4eda-b922-f16613722e31@googlegroups.com> <1d87da9c-ef64-4bd2-9179-e2aad908a9d0@googlegroups.com> <54E4EB78.80402@stoneleaf.us> <54e51a54$0$12994$c3e8da3$5496439d@news.astraweb.com> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit X-Gmane-NNTP-Posting-Host: jigong.madmonks.org X-Public-Key-ID: 0xAC128405 X-Public-Key-Fingerprint: 517C F14B B2F3 98B0 CB35 4855 B8B2 4C06 AC12 8405 X-Public-Key-URL: http://www.benfinney.id.au/contact/bfinney-pubkey.asc X-Post-From: Ben Finney User-Agent: Gnus/5.13 (Gnus v5.13) Emacs/24.4 (gnu/linux) Cancel-Lock: sha1:iKGZZEPctuRRbIGyV0rY+W+U0oM= 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: 21 NNTP-Posting-Host: 2001:888:2000:d::a6 X-Trace: 1424304608 news.xs4all.nl 2965 [2001:888:2000:d::a6]:48234 X-Complaints-To: abuse@xs4all.nl Path: csiph.com!usenet.pasdenom.info!bete-des-vosges.org!feed.ac-versailles.fr!nerim.net!novso.com!newsfeed.xs4all.nl!newsfeed3.news.xs4all.nl!xs4all!post.news.xs4all.nl!not-for-mail Xref: csiph.com comp.lang.python:85837 Steven D'Aprano writes: > Terry Reedy wrote: > > > […] virtual collections can be infinite. > > Hmmm. I'm not sure I believe that. Can you enumerate all of the items > and see if there actually is an infinite number of them? I'll wait... A mathematician should know better: you don't need to enumerate to demonstrate a collection is infinite. Provided, of course, that the collection is *virtual* — so virtual that it's not actually implemented on hardware :-) -- \ “If you have the facts on your side, pound the facts. If you | `\ have the law on your side, pound the law. If you have neither | _o__) on your side, pound the table.” —anonymous | Ben Finney