Is `wsample` a proper name for a function like this?

[Joshua Landau]

On 12 October 2012 03:22, Steven D'Aprano <
steve+comp.lang.python at pearwood.info> wrote:

> On Wed, 10 Oct 2012 23:44:42 -0700, suzaku wrote:
>
> > I think if a programmer has used the built-in `random` module before, he
> > would expect a function with "sample" in its name to return a population
> > sequence.
>
> I have used the random module for about fifteen years, and I still write
> random.sample when I need to use random.choice.
>
> In statistics, probability, and plain English, a sample can be a single
> item: that's why we can say "a sample" or "two samples".


Because I have no soul, I'm going to have to correct you here. We can write
"a multitude" or "several multitudes", but that doesn't mean a multitude
can contain but one item. It's singular because we have *one collection*,
not *one item*. That said, we can still have a sample *of one*. And *samples
* of one.

*teehee*


> > If a function is to return scalar value instead of sequence, I would
> > expect it to be named "choice".
>
> And I wouldn't. But what do I care? I'm never going to use the code
> you're talking about, so call it "sasquatch" if you like, it's no skin
> off my nose.
>
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