testing two lists for equality

[Peter Hansen]

David Eppstein wrote:
> 
> In article <mailman.1056115415.31859.python-list at python.org>,
>  Skip Montanaro <skip at pobox.com> wrote:
> 
> > Based on the search I just did for "lexicography" ("The art, process, or
> > occupation of making a lexicon or dictionary; the principles which are
> > applied in making dictionaries."), I'd say just about anything would be more
> > correct than the current phrasing.
> 
> Oh come on.  The fourth hit I found on Google for lexicographic order
> was http://mathworld.wolfram.com/LexicographicOrder.html
> which has a clear description of the ordering.  It is hardly an unknown
> or unfindable phrase.

Some people use Google for looking up the meanings of words, and
some people might think to use "lexicographic order" to make the
search even better, but I think the majority of people who don't
already know the meaning will do what I did: search on the nearest
online dictionary for "lexicographically", then find that it is
defined only in relation to the root "lexicography", then look up
that word and get the unhelpful definition which Skip quotes above.

It didn't even occur to me to consider it might have a specialized
meaning in mathematics or comp-sci, despite the context.  I just
assumed it was an ill-chosen ambiguous phrase and moved on, but 
at least in my case I already knew how the list equality comparison
worked, so I already knew what it was supposed to mean.

-Peter