BonzoESC posted:

does python have both comparator sort and a schwartzian transform sort-by method

BonzoESC posted:

"In Python 2.4 and above, both the sorted() function and the in-place list.sort() method take a key= parameter that allows the user to provide a "key function" (like foo in the examples above). In Python 3 and above, use of the key function is the only way to specify a custom sort order (the previously-supported comparator argument was removed)."

i guess that's "the new way" or maybe "the only way" now

Jonnty posted:

then if you suddenly want to change the natural ordering to specifically width or whatever then you just change it and everything works. simple.

Zombywuf posted:

You misspelled ButtCheekSizeComparator.

BonzoESC posted:

if you're sorting 'em by the same field that much you put a new method on the object to be compared that returns its sort value and sort by that

and a new method in a good language is much simpler than

Java code:

class AgeComparator implements Comparator{
   
    public int compare(Object emp1, Object emp2){
       
        int emp1Age = ((Employee)emp1).getAge();        
        int emp2Age = ((Employee)emp2).getAge();
       
        if(emp1Age > emp2Age)
            return 1;
        else if(emp1Age < emp2Age)
            return -1;
        else
            return 0;    
    }
   
}

trex eaterofcadrs posted:

also note that this code is wrong (no offence I know you were writing it fast but it is a good example) you need to check if emp1 or emp2 are null and you need instanceof checks or you will possibly get classcastexceptions (using generics obviously will prevent this, unless you're working w/ an implementation that only takes Comparator and not Comparator<T>). there's probably something else im missing too

Shaggar posted:

if ur using java u should probably kill yourself.

trex eaterofcadrs posted:

also note that this code is wrong (no offence I know you were writing it fast but it is a good example) you need to check if emp1 or emp2 are null and you need instanceof checks or you will possibly get classcastexceptions (using generics obviously will prevent this, unless you're working w/ an implementation that only takes Comparator and not Comparator<T>). there's probably something else im missing too

Shaggar posted:

if ur using java u should probably kill yourself.

Internaut! posted:

ehhhh yeah on one hand it's smart to write defensively

otoh language choice isn't going to save you here, you would have to do the same thing in Clojure for example

quote:

We went to lunch afterward, and I remarked to Dennis that easily half the code I was writing in Multics was error recovery code. He said, "We left all that stuff out. If there's an error, we have this routine called panic, and when it is called, the machine crashes, and you holler down the hall, 'Hey, reboot it.'"

BonzoESC posted:

this is the big thing in erlang, where instead of making sure your processes never crash, you just set them up (with otp supervision trees) so that when an error happens the process that had the error dies and the system spawns a new process to replace it

Toady posted:

does anyone have any opinions on LISP? thanks

BonzoESC posted:

programs aren't cars, it's okay to let 'em crash: http://www.multicians.org/unix.html


this is the big thing in erlang, where instead of making sure your processes never crash, you just set them up (with otp supervision trees) so that when an error happens the process that had the error dies and the system spawns a new process to replace it

BOOK ON CODING posted:

The computational processes inside the computer are like magical spirits that we can harness for our work. Unfortunately, those spirits only understand a very arcane language that we do not know. What we need is a friendly Genie that can direct the spirits to fulfill our wishes.

BOOK ON CODING posted:

We communicate with the Genie through a special language of spells and incantations.

standardtoaster posted:

May 22, 2009


I'm learning to code and the book I'm read said this:

quote:

BOOK ON CODING posted:
The computational processes inside the computer are like magical spirits that we can harness for our work. Unfortunately, those spirits only understand a very arcane language that we do not know. What we need is a friendly Genie that can direct the spirits to fulfill our wishes.

Is this accurate?

Toady posted:

does anyone have any opinions on LISP? thanks

standardtoaster posted:

Is this accurate?

Internaut! posted:

if I'm an IS manager that sounds like a good approach as it lets you maintain an SLA standard and get your bonus at the end of the year even though individual customers are crashing out all over the place every time your lazily written system encounters something slightly unexpected

Shaggar posted:

ya lets ignore a code defect and just keep restarting. that will make it go away, right? - excerpt from Design Philosophy of PHP

standardtoaster posted:

I had no idea that this is what you guys do.

Sulk posted:

The advantage of Python over Java is that it’s less heavyweight, there isn’t a huge syntactic thicket of declarations and codicils and stuff that from a point of view of a Python programmer is extraneous junk that gets in the way of comprehension. There are languages that are much worse that way, see my rant about C++. Java is a bit too syntax-heavy and cluttered for optimum long-term maintainability. That is my opinion anyway.

Sulk posted:

Sulk posted:

The advantage of Python over Java is that its less heavyweight

Sulk posted:

Java is a bit too syntax-heavy and cluttered for optimum long-term maintainability.

BonzoESC posted:

if you want to say that python doesn't take two seconds to start like java does just say that

Zombywuf posted:

Python on the other hand takes 11MB, just to start. Urgh.

Lysidas posted:

i don't mind java but it's no python3

and shaggar your point about only changing the single comparator implementation once is a strawman; you can write a single python key function for your objects and change that one function in one place too

Shaggar posted:

functions are for morons who want to spend the extra effort to make maintainable code without actually making maintainable code.

ahhh spiders posted: