Why Python does *SLICING* the way it does??

[Antoon Pardon]

Op 2005-04-21, Reinhold Birkenfeld schreef <reinhold-birkenfeld-nospam at wolke7.net>:
> Antoon Pardon wrote:
>
>> I sometimes think python should have been more explicite here,
>> using a marker for the start-index and end-index, may '^' and
>> '$'. So if you wanted the last element you had to write:
>> 
>>   lst[$]
>> 
>> And for the next to last element:
>> 
>>   lst[$ - 1]
>> 
>> 
>> This would make accessing list elements counted from the rear
>> almost just as easy as it is now but wouldn't interfere with
>> the ask forgiveness programming style.
>
> How would you pass this argument to __getitem__?

Well assuming lst.last, was the last index of lst, __getitem__
would get lst.last and lst.last - 1 passed.

> What would be allowed, only '$-x' or also '$+x' or what else?

Any expression where an int is allowed.

> What type would '$' be?

It would be an int.

-- 
Antoon Pardon