Jeff Shannon wrote:
So, what problem is it, exactly, that you think you'd solve by making tuple slices a view rather than a copy?
I think views are good for 1) saving memory 2) saving time (as you don't have to copy the elements into the new tuple)
1. Applies only if you are making large slices, or a lot of slices with each containing at least 3 elements.
A view can also *cost* memory, when it looks at a small piece of a large item. The view will keep the entire item alive, even though it needs only a small piece.
2. Hell no. The *elements* aren't copied, pointers to the elements are. If you *don't* copy the pointers, then every item access through the view involves an indirection as the index into the original sequence gets calculated.
So views *may* save memory in some applications, but are unlikely to save time in any application (except any saving resulting from the memory saving).
Cheers, Nick.
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Nick Coghlan | [EMAIL PROTECTED] | Brisbane, Australia
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