[Twisted-Python] What rough protocol, its hour come at last, slouches towards Austin to be born?

[Daniel Mahler]

I believe common meaning of "tuple" extends beyond computing
and means something like element of the cartesian product.
The dictionary definition below seems to come from a computing
dictionary and assumes a strongly typed language.
The online Merriam-Webster just says:
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
One entry found for -tuple.
Main Entry: -tu·ple
Pronunciation: "t&-p&l, "tü-
Function: noun combining form
Etymology: quintuple, sextuple
: set of (so many) elements -- usually used of sets with ordered
elements <the ordered 2-tuple (a, b)>
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Which seems compatible with Python usage.
I think the Python usage is consistent with
programming/math uses I am familiar with.
It is even consistent with the dictionary definition
given below;
it is the definition 'list' that is incompatible,
since there is no same type restriction
on python list elements.
However, all untyped/dynamically typed languages
have list types without it.
However, in most languages lists are linked structures:
python lists correspond to vectors/arrays in other languages.

D

Glyph Lefkowitz writes:
 > On Mon, 2002-04-08 at 17:53, Bob Ippolito wrote:
 > > 
 > > On Monday, April 8, 2002, at 06:08 PM, Glyph Lefkowitz wrote:
 > 
 > > > 1: use of the word "tuple".
 > 
 > > I'd say that tuple is pretty standard terminology.  It's used quite 
 > > heavily in PostgreSQL's source code for example, and I've heard mention 
 > > of it in reference to common lisp.. Other things probably use it, I 
 > > don't think it had anything to do with python, I think python's use of 
 > > it is just the most prolific.
 > 
 > dictionaries define "tuple" as:
 > 
 >     "In functional languages, a data object containing two or more
 >     components. Also known as a product type or pair, triple, quad, etc.
 >     Tuples of different sizes have different types, in contrast to lists
 >     where the type is independent of the length. The components of a
 >     tuple may be of different types whereas all elements of a list have
 >     the same type."
 > 
 > This is not quite what Python means.  PostgreSQL defines tuple as:
 > 
 >     "an individual state of a row; each UPDATE of a row creates a new
 >     tuple for the same logical row".
 > 
 > In Python, it means simply "a list which is immutable".  I think that
 > these three definitions are sufficiently incompatible that one should
 > not use the word in a vocabulary for a protocol which is supposed to be
 > cross-langauge.
 > 
 > -- 
 >  |    <`'>    |  Glyph Lefkowitz: Travelling Sorcerer  |
 >  |   < _/ >   |  Lead Developer,  the Twisted project  |
 >  |  < ___/ >  |      http://www.twistedmatrix.com      |