novaBBS - comp.lang.python - Re: on the popularity of loops while and for

Re: on the popularity of loops while and for

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From: hjp-pyt...@hjp.at (Peter J. Holzer)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.python
Subject: Re: on the popularity of loops while and for
Date: Sat, 4 Sep 2021 12:21:14 +0200
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by: Peter J. Holzer - Sat, 4 Sep 2021 10:21 UTC

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On 2021-08-29 10:04:47 +0100, Barry wrote:
> > I'd like get a statistic of how often each loop is used in practice.
> >
> > I was trying to take a look at the Python's standard libraries --- those
> > included in a standard installation of Python 3.9.6, say --- to see
> > which loops are more often used among while and for loops. Of course,
> > since English use the preposition ``for'' a lot, that makes my life
> > harder. Removing comments is easy, but removing strings is harder. So
> > I don't know yet what I'll do.
> >
> > Have you guys ever measured something like that in a casual or serious
> > way? I'd love to know. Thank you!
>
> I am interesting in why you think that choice of while vs. for is
> about popularity?
>
> Surely the choice is made in most cases by the algorithm?

The context here is an introductory course for Python. So there is not
"the algorithm", there are all the algorithms that a novice is likely
to encounter.

For me it makes absolute sense to base the contents of the course on
popularity. Constructs which a novice programmer is very likely to use
or encounter in other people's code should be covered more thoroughly
than constructs that will be used only rarely. Some are so rare that
they can be safely omitted. The while loop is certainly not in that
category, but it probably makes sense to spend less time on it than on
the for loop.

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Re: on the popularity of loops while and for

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From: hrouse...@jevedi.com (Hope Rouselle)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.python
Subject: Re: on the popularity of loops while and for
Date: Sat, 04 Sep 2021 09:31:17 -0300
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by: Hope Rouselle - Sat, 4 Sep 2021 12:31 UTC

"Peter J. Holzer" <hjp-python@hjp.at> writes:

> On 2021-08-29 10:04:47 +0100, Barry wrote:
>> > I'd like get a statistic of how often each loop is used in practice.
>> >
>> > I was trying to take a look at the Python's standard libraries --- those
>> > included in a standard installation of Python 3.9.6, say --- to see
>> > which loops are more often used among while and for loops. Of course,
>> > since English use the preposition ``for'' a lot, that makes my life
>> > harder. Removing comments is easy, but removing strings is harder. So
>> > I don't know yet what I'll do.
>> >
>> > Have you guys ever measured something like that in a casual or serious
>> > way? I'd love to know. Thank you!
>>
>> I am interesting in why you think that choice of while vs. for is
>> about popularity?
>>
>> Surely the choice is made in most cases by the algorithm?
>
> The context here is an introductory course for Python. So there is not
> "the algorithm", there are all the algorithms that a novice is likely
> to encounter.
>
> For me it makes absolute sense to base the contents of the course on
> popularity. Constructs which a novice programmer is very likely to use
> or encounter in other people's code should be covered more thoroughly
> than constructs that will be used only rarely. Some are so rare that
> they can be safely omitted. The while loop is certainly not in that
> category, but it probably makes sense to spend less time on it than on
> the for loop.

``A man after my own heart.''

Live long and prosper. -- Spock, "Amok Time", stardate 3372.7

devel / comp.lang.python / Re: on the popularity of loops while and for

Subject	Author
Re: on the popularity of loops while and for	Peter J. Holzer
Re: on the popularity of loops while and for	Hope Rouselle