sum for sequences?

[Patrick Maupin]

On Mar 29, 10:29 pm, Steven D'Aprano
<ste... at REMOVE.THIS.cybersource.com.au> wrote:
> On Mon, 29 Mar 2010 19:24:42 -0700, Patrick Maupin wrote:
> > On Mar 29, 6:19 pm, Steven D'Aprano <st... at REMOVE-THIS-
> > cybersource.com.au> wrote:
> >> How does the existence of math.fsum contradict the existence of sum?
>
> > You're exceptionally good at (probably deliberately) mis-interpreting
> > what people write.
>
> I cannot read your mind, I can only interpret the words you choose to
> write. You said
>
> [quote]
> See, I think the very existence of math.fsum() already violates "there
> should be one obvious way to do it."
> [end quote]
>
> If sum satisfies the existence of one obvious way, how does math.fsum
> violate it? sum exists, and is obvious, regardless of whatever other
> solutions exist as well.

Because sum() is the obvious way to sum floats; now the existence of
math.fsum() means there are TWO obvious ways to sum floats.  Is that
really that hard to understand?  How can you misconstrue this so badly
that you write something that can be (easily) interpreted to mean that
you think that I think that once math.fsum() exists, sum() doesn't
even exist any more????