[Python-Dev] Re: A small proposed change to dictionaries' "get" method

[Skip Montanaro]

    >> Also, we're talking about a method that would generally only be
    >> useful when dictionaries have values which were mutable objects.
    >> Irregardless of how useful instances and lists are, I still find that
    >> my predominant day-to-day use of dictionaries is with strings as keys
    >> and values.  Perhaps that's just the nature of my work.

    Guido> Must be.  I have used the above two idioms many times -- a dict
    Guido> of lists is pretty common.  I believe that the fact that you
    Guido> don't need it is the reason why you don't like it.

I do use lists in dicts as well, it's just that it seems to me that using
strings as values (especially because I use bsddb a lot and often want to
map dictionaries to files) dominates.  The two examples I posted are what
I've used for a long time.  I guess I just don't find them to be big
limitations.

Skip