On 09/30/10 16:09, TheFlyingDutchman wrote: > >> >> That argument can be made for dynamic language as well. If you write in >> dynamic language (e.g. python): >> >> def maximum(a, b): >> return a if a > b else b >> >> The dynamic language's version of maximum() function is 100% correct -- >> if you passed an uncomparable object, instead of a number, your call of >> it is incorrect; you just didn't pass the right sort of data. And that's >> your problem as a caller. >> >> In fact, since Python's integer is infinite precision (only bounded by >> available memory); in practice, Python's version of maximum() has less >> chance of producing erroneous result. > > "in C I can have a function maximum(int a, int b) that will always > work. Never blow up, and never give an invalid answer. " > > Dynamic typed languages like Python fail in this case on "Never blows > up".
How do you define "Never blows up"? Personally, I'd consider maximum(8589934592, 1) returning 1 as a blow up, and of the worst kind since it passes silently. -- http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/python-list
