pairs from a list

[Steven D'Aprano]

On Wed, 23 Jan 2008 10:39:25 -0800, George Sakkis wrote:

> On Jan 23, 4:37 am, Steven D'Aprano
> <ste... at REMOVE.THIS.cybersource.com.au> wrote:
>> On Tue, 22 Jan 2008 23:33:00 -0800, George Sakkis wrote:
>> > As I mentioned already, I consider the seeking of the most efficient
>> > solution a legitimate question, regardless of whether a "dumb"
>> > solution is fast enough for an application. Call it a "don't be
>> > sloppy" principle if you wish.
>>
>> Sure, by why do you limit "efficient" and "don't be sloppy" to mean
>> "write the fastest executing code you can, regardless of every other
>> trade-off"?
> 
> I explicitly didn't limit sloppiness to inefficiency and mentioned it's
> a tradeoff:

Of course you did, and I was being sloppy. The "you" was meant more as a 
generic you than you yourself. Sorry for the confusion.

As for your other points, I think we're actually very much in agreement, 
except for your tolerance of random posters asking what I believe is an 
incoherent question: "what's the fastest way to do ...?". It seems to me 
you're willing to give them the benefit of the doubt that they've done 
their profiling and considered their trade-offs, or at the very worst are 
asking from purely intellectual curiosity. Call me cynical if you like, 
but I think that in the absence of any direct evidence supporting those 
things, the most likely possibility is the opposite.



-- 
Steven