Inconsistency in Python's Comparisons

[Erik Max Francis]

Dietrich Epp wrote:

> This could cause sorting functions to malfunction.
> 
>  >>> class t(object):
> ...     pass
> ...
>  >>> a = t()
>  >>> b = u'0'
>  >>> c = '1'
>  >>> a < b
> True
>  >>> b < c
> True
>  >>> c < a
> True

Do you have an example of this that doesn't involve comparisons between
different types?  In Python, except for complex numbers, comparisons
between instances of different types is guaranteed to be consistent, but
not necessarily helpful.

If you're doing comparisons, not to mention sorting, between instances
of fundamentally incommensurable types (like instances of a class and
strings), I'd say that's programmer error, although admittedly it is a
little strange that you found a circular situation like that.

-- 
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