This discussion ended abruptly, and I'd like to see it reach a conclusion. I will attempt to synthesize Bill and Carsten's proposals.
There are two proposed patches. The first is to http://docs.python.org/lib/typesmapping.html where it is proposed for footnote (3) to state: Keys and values are listed in an arbitrary order. This order is indeterminate and generally depends on factors outside the scope of the containing program. However, if items(), keys(), values(), iteritems(), iterkeys(), and itervalues() are called with no intervening modifications to the dictionary, the lists will directly correspond. The second is for http://docs.python.org/lib/types-set.html where the proposal is to append a new sentence to the 2nd paragraph: Iteration over a set returns elements in an indeterminate order,which generally depends on factors outside the scope of the containing program. Alan Isaac -- http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/python-list
