the python way?

[Christos TZOTZIOY Georgiou]

On Mon, 06 Jun 2005 14:52:04 -0400, rumours say that Kent Johnson
<kent37 at tds.net> might have written:

>def newZip(a1,a2):
>    """ reassemble """
>    l1=len(a1)
>    l2=len(a2)
>    longest, shortest = [[a1,a2], [a2,a1]][l1<l2]
<snip>

Other ways to write the last line:
----------------------------------

/a/ execution in 22.5% of the original time taken

longest, shortest = l1 < l2 and (a2,a1) or (a1,a2)


/b/ execution in 12.5% of the original time taken

if l1 < l2: longest, shortest= a2, a1
else: longest, shortest= a1, a2


/c/ execution in 6.5% of the original time taken

if l1 < l2: longest= a2; shortest= a1
else: longest= a1; shortest= a2


Another exotic way to write the last *three* lines, running in 228.7% of
the original time:-)

shortest, longest=sorted([a1,a2], key=len)


Numbers from 2.4c1 on a Pentium-M running at 600 MHz (battery powered).
Suggestion /a/ has the advantage of no repetion of the names like the
original line.
-- 
TZOTZIOY, I speak England very best.
"Be strict when sending and tolerant when receiving." (from RFC1958)
I really should keep that in mind when talking with people, actually...