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Groups > comp.lang.python > #55384
| From | Terry Reedy <tjreedy@udel.edu> |
|---|---|
| Subject | Re: Tail recursion to while iteration in 2 easy steps |
| Date | 2013-10-02 18:17 -0400 |
| References | <mailman.571.1380663065.18130.python-list@python.org> <87had0axxy.fsf@dpt-info.u-strasbg.fr> |
| Newsgroups | comp.lang.python |
| Message-ID | <mailman.654.1380752253.18130.python-list@python.org> (permalink) |
On 10/2/2013 4:17 AM, Alain Ketterlin wrote:
> Terry Reedy <tjreedy@udel.edu> writes:
>
>> Part of the reason that Python does not do tail call optimization is
>> that turning tail recursion into while iteration is almost trivial,
>> once you know the secret of the two easy steps. Here it is.
>>
>> Assume that you have already done the work of turning a body recursive
>> ('not tail recursive') form like
>>
>> def fact(n): return 1 if n <= 1 else n * fact(n-1)
As I said in response to randomxxx, even this 0th step (recursion to
recursion transformation) requires assumptions or carefully reasoning
about the properties of the operations.
>> into a tail recursion like
> [...]
>
> How do know that either "<=" or "*" didn't rebind the name "fact" to
> something else? I think that's the main reason why python cannot apply
> any procedural optimization (even things like inlining are impossible,
> or possible only under very conservative assumption, that make it
> worthless).
>
> -- Alain.
>
> P/S: don't take me wrong; your explanation is excellent (and very useful
> to python programmers). What I say is that it relies on assumptions that
> do not apply to python.
Program transformations (usually intended to be optimizations), whether
automatic or manual, are infamous for being buggy in not always being
correct because of hidden assumptions that are not always true.
CPython core developers have be very conservative about what
tranformations they put into the compiler. (1,2,3) can always be
compiled as a constant, and so it is. [1,2,3] might or might not be a
constant, depending on the context, and no attempt is made to analyze that.
--
Terry Jan Reedy
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Tail recursion to while iteration in 2 easy steps Terry Reedy <tjreedy@udel.edu> - 2013-10-01 17:30 -0400
Re: Tail recursion to while iteration in 2 easy steps rusi <rustompmody@gmail.com> - 2013-10-01 22:16 -0700
Re: Tail recursion to while iteration in 2 easy steps Alain Ketterlin <alain@dpt-info.u-strasbg.fr> - 2013-10-02 10:23 +0200
Re: Tail recursion to while iteration in 2 easy steps rusi <rustompmody@gmail.com> - 2013-10-02 06:29 -0700
Re: Tail recursion to while iteration in 2 easy steps Ravi Sahni <ganeshsahni07@gmail.com> - 2013-10-03 22:57 +0530
Re: Tail recursion to while iteration in 2 easy steps rusi <rustompmody@gmail.com> - 2013-10-04 03:52 -0700
Re: Tail recursion to while iteration in 2 easy steps Alain Ketterlin <alain@dpt-info.u-strasbg.fr> - 2013-10-02 10:17 +0200
Re: Tail recursion to while iteration in 2 easy steps Mark Janssen <dreamingforward@gmail.com> - 2013-10-02 11:59 -0700
Re: Tail recursion to while iteration in 2 easy steps Mark Janssen <dreamingforward@gmail.com> - 2013-10-02 14:05 -0700
Re: Tail recursion to while iteration in 2 easy steps Alain Ketterlin <alain@dpt-info.u-strasbg.fr> - 2013-10-04 11:49 +0200
Re: Tail recursion to while iteration in 2 easy steps Steven D'Aprano <steve+comp.lang.python@pearwood.info> - 2013-10-04 10:51 +0000
Re: Tail recursion to while iteration in 2 easy steps Terry Reedy <tjreedy@udel.edu> - 2013-10-04 18:32 -0400
Re: Tail recursion to while iteration in 2 easy steps Alain Ketterlin <alain@dpt-info.u-strasbg.fr> - 2013-10-07 19:15 +0200
Re: Tail recursion to while iteration in 2 easy steps Antoon Pardon <antoon.pardon@rece.vub.ac.be> - 2013-10-07 19:57 +0200
Re: Tail recursion to while iteration in 2 easy steps Alain Ketterlin <alain@dpt-info.u-strasbg.fr> - 2013-10-08 10:56 +0200
Re: Tail recursion to while iteration in 2 easy steps Jussi Piitulainen <jpiitula@ling.helsinki.fi> - 2013-10-08 12:49 +0300
Re: Tail recursion to while iteration in 2 easy steps Terry Reedy <tjreedy@udel.edu> - 2013-10-07 16:42 -0400
Re: Tail recursion to while iteration in 2 easy steps random832@fastmail.us - 2013-10-07 17:19 -0400
Re: Tail recursion to while iteration in 2 easy steps Alain Ketterlin <alain@dpt-info.u-strasbg.fr> - 2013-10-08 10:41 +0200
Re: Tail recursion to while iteration in 2 easy steps MRAB <python@mrabarnett.plus.com> - 2013-10-07 22:39 +0100
Re: Tail recursion to while iteration in 2 easy steps Piet van Oostrum <piet@vanoostrum.org> - 2013-10-07 18:03 -0400
Re: Tail recursion to while iteration in 2 easy steps Mark Janssen <dreamingforward@gmail.com> - 2013-10-07 15:47 -0700
Re: Tail recursion to while iteration in 2 easy steps Steven D'Aprano <steve+comp.lang.python@pearwood.info> - 2013-10-07 23:50 +0000
Re: Tail recursion to while iteration in 2 easy steps Mark Janssen <dreamingforward@gmail.com> - 2013-10-07 17:24 -0700
Formal-ity and the Church-Turing thesis rusi <rustompmody@gmail.com> - 2013-10-07 20:17 -0700
Re: Formal-ity and the Church-Turing thesis Ravi Sahni <ganeshsahni07@gmail.com> - 2013-10-08 10:46 +0530
Re: Formal-ity and the Church-Turing thesis rusi <rustompmody@gmail.com> - 2013-10-07 22:44 -0700
Re: Formal-ity and the Church-Turing thesis Mark Lawrence <breamoreboy@yahoo.co.uk> - 2013-10-08 07:43 +0100
Re: Formal-ity and the Church-Turing thesis Ravi Sahni <ganeshsahni07@gmail.com> - 2013-10-08 18:31 +0530
Re: Formal-ity and the Church-Turing thesis rusi <rustompmody@gmail.com> - 2013-10-08 06:33 -0700
Re: Formal-ity and the Church-Turing thesis Steven D'Aprano <steve@pearwood.info> - 2013-10-08 07:50 +0000
Re: Formal-ity and the Church-Turing thesis Ravi Sahni <ganeshsahni07@gmail.com> - 2013-10-08 18:16 +0530
Re: Formal-ity and the Church-Turing thesis Steven D'Aprano <steve+comp.lang.python@pearwood.info> - 2013-10-08 13:11 +0000
Re: Formal-ity and the Church-Turing thesis Robert Day <robertkday@gmail.com> - 2013-10-08 14:25 +0100
Re: Formal-ity and the Church-Turing thesis Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com> - 2013-10-09 08:36 +1100
Re: Formal-ity and the Church-Turing thesis Mark Janssen <dreamingforward@gmail.com> - 2013-10-07 22:19 -0700
Re: Formal-ity and the Church-Turing thesis rusi <rustompmody@gmail.com> - 2013-10-07 23:01 -0700
Re: Formal-ity and the Church-Turing thesis Mark Janssen <dreamingforward@gmail.com> - 2013-10-08 10:39 -0700
Re: Tail recursion to while iteration in 2 easy steps Mark Janssen <dreamingforward@gmail.com> - 2013-10-07 17:16 -0700
Re: Tail recursion to while iteration in 2 easy steps Steven D'Aprano <steve+comp.lang.python@pearwood.info> - 2013-10-08 02:36 +0000
Re: Tail recursion to while iteration in 2 easy steps Mark Janssen <dreamingforward@gmail.com> - 2013-10-07 20:27 -0700
Re: Tail recursion to while iteration in 2 easy steps Steven D'Aprano <steve@pearwood.info> - 2013-10-08 09:22 +0000
Re: Tail recursion to while iteration in 2 easy steps Charles Hixson <charleshixsn@earthlink.net> - 2013-10-09 15:45 -0700
Re: Tail recursion to while iteration in 2 easy steps Piet van Oostrum <piet@vanoostrum.org> - 2013-10-07 22:46 -0400
Re: Tail recursion to while iteration in 2 easy steps Jussi Piitulainen <jpiitula@ling.helsinki.fi> - 2013-10-08 10:25 +0300
Re: Tail recursion to while iteration in 2 easy steps Antoon Pardon <antoon.pardon@rece.vub.ac.be> - 2013-10-08 11:18 +0200
Re: Tail recursion to while iteration in 2 easy steps Piet van Oostrum <piet@vanoostrum.org> - 2013-10-07 22:45 -0400
Re: Tail recursion to while iteration in 2 easy steps Mark Janssen <dreamingforward@gmail.com> - 2013-10-07 20:34 -0700
Re: Tail recursion to while iteration in 2 easy steps Terry Reedy <tjreedy@udel.edu> - 2013-10-02 18:17 -0400
Re: Tail recursion to while iteration in 2 easy steps Steven D'Aprano <steve+comp.lang.python@pearwood.info> - 2013-10-03 01:24 +0000
Re: Tail recursion to while iteration in 2 easy steps Dave Angel <davea@davea.name> - 2013-10-03 01:39 +0000
Re: Tail recursion to while iteration in 2 easy steps MRAB <python@mrabarnett.plus.com> - 2013-10-03 02:46 +0100
Re: Tail recursion to while iteration in 2 easy steps Steven D'Aprano <steve+comp.lang.python@pearwood.info> - 2013-10-03 02:34 +0000
Re: Tail recursion to while iteration in 2 easy steps Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com> - 2013-10-03 14:14 +1000
Re: Tail recursion to while iteration in 2 easy steps random832@fastmail.us - 2013-10-03 10:16 -0400
Re: Tail recursion to while iteration in 2 easy steps Terry Reedy <tjreedy@udel.edu> - 2013-10-03 15:04 -0400
Re: Tail recursion to while iteration in 2 easy steps Terry Reedy <tjreedy@udel.edu> - 2013-10-02 22:41 -0400
Re: Tail recursion to while iteration in 2 easy steps Steven D'Aprano <steve+comp.lang.python@pearwood.info> - 2013-10-04 01:30 +0000
Re: Tail recursion to while iteration in 2 easy steps Terry Reedy <tjreedy@udel.edu> - 2013-10-02 23:06 -0400
Re: Tail recursion to while iteration in 2 easy steps random832@fastmail.us - 2013-10-03 10:14 -0400
Literal syntax for frozenset, frozendict (was: Tail recursion to while iteration in 2 easy steps) Ben Finney <ben+python@benfinney.id.au> - 2013-10-04 10:18 +1000
Re: Literal syntax for frozenset, frozendict Ethan Furman <ethan@stoneleaf.us> - 2013-10-03 18:31 -0700
Re: Tail recursion to while iteration in 2 easy steps Duncan Booth <duncan.booth@invalid.invalid> - 2013-10-03 14:52 +0000
Re: Tail recursion to while iteration in 2 easy steps Neil Cerutti <neilc@norwich.edu> - 2013-10-03 16:03 +0000
Re: Tail recursion to while iteration in 2 easy steps Duncan Booth <duncan.booth@invalid.invalid> - 2013-10-04 10:16 +0000
Re: Tail recursion to while iteration in 2 easy steps Ian Kelly <ian.g.kelly@gmail.com> - 2013-10-04 04:41 -0600
Re: Tail recursion to while iteration in 2 easy steps Ian Kelly <ian.g.kelly@gmail.com> - 2013-10-04 04:46 -0600
Re: Tail recursion to while iteration in 2 easy steps Duncan Booth <duncan.booth@invalid.invalid> - 2013-10-04 11:16 +0000
Re: Tail recursion to while iteration in 2 easy steps Jussi Piitulainen <jpiitula@ling.helsinki.fi> - 2013-10-04 14:11 +0300
Re: Tail recursion to while iteration in 2 easy steps Terry Reedy <tjreedy@udel.edu> - 2013-10-04 17:14 -0400
Re: Tail recursion to while iteration in 2 easy steps Antoon Pardon <antoon.pardon@rece.vub.ac.be> - 2013-10-05 09:39 +0200
Re: Tail recursion to while iteration in 2 easy steps random832@fastmail.us - 2013-10-07 17:27 -0400
Re: Tail recursion to while iteration in 2 easy steps Jussi Piitulainen <jpiitula@ling.helsinki.fi> - 2013-10-08 10:11 +0300
Re: Tail recursion to while iteration in 2 easy steps Antoon Pardon <antoon.pardon@rece.vub.ac.be> - 2013-10-08 11:43 +0200
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