Message380931
I recommend leaving the text as is, and possibly creating a new FAQ entry discussing the relationship between immutability and hashability (something that I consider to be an intermediate or advanced topic).
Other thought:
* The set discussion should remain parallel that for mappings (a few paragraphs) after. That text also discusses immutability
* We've never had a user incident regarding this text, so there is no actual evidence that this current wording is confusing anyone.
* It is common for users to equate hashability with immutability, so I think the current wording is reasonable. My experience with users indicate that "hashable" is more cryptic than "immutable" because the former implies a knowledge of how hash tables work.
* It's easy for us thinking we're helping by making precise distinctions but have the actual effect of making the docs more opaque. That is why first-aid books say "bruise" instead of "subdermal hematoma" :-)
* The word "immutable" is a reasonable first approximation that doesn't require knowledge of hash table mechanics. For the most part, it is how everyday users think about dict keys and set elements.
* That approximation is useful because a fuller discussion would say that if __hash__ is defined, it should do so on fields that don't mutate. |
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Date |
User |
Action |
Args |
2020-11-13 19:44:22 | rhettinger | set | recipients:
+ rhettinger, docs@python, BTaskaya, Pixmew |
2020-11-13 19:44:22 | rhettinger | set | messageid: <1605296662.4.0.335082195079.issue42348@roundup.psfhosted.org> |
2020-11-13 19:44:22 | rhettinger | link | issue42348 messages |
2020-11-13 19:44:21 | rhettinger | create | |
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