Greedy vs Non-Greedy in Re - Good Example

Here is a good example to explain greedy vs, non-greedy search using module re in Python.



*?, +?, ??

The '*', '+', and '?' qualifiers are all greedy; they match as much text as possible. Sometimes this behaviour isn’t desired; if the RE is matched against '<H1>title</H1>', it will match the entire string, and not just '<H1>'. Adding '?' after the qualifier makes it perform the match in non-greedy or minimal fashion; as few characters as possible will be matched. Using .*? in the previous expression will match only '<H1>'.

Once in a blue moon

A Blue moon is a name given to an irregularly timed full moon. Most years have twelve full moons which occur approximately monthly, but each calendar year contains those twelve full lunar cycles plus about eleven days to spare. The extra days accumulate, so that every two or three years there is an extra full moon (this happens every 2.72 years). (Source: Wikipedia)

So, its frequency of occurrence would be:

1/ 2.72 * 365 * 24 * 60 * 60) = 1.16580118 × 10 ^ -8

Now, this one is good. Excellent humor!

But don't get how they arrived at that number. Average considering the leap year does not result in that either.

Python Types and Obects

http://www.cafepy.com/article/python_types_and_objects/python_types_and_objects.html

Good article to understand new style classes.

Discussing English Grammar in the bug report.

Follow the discussion in this Python Documentation bug report.
Its for correct usage of English and grammar.


Terry J. Reedy added the comment:

Benjamin: I thank you too for verifying that I was not crazy.

Martin: I noticed native/non-native split too, and chalked it up to a subtle difference between German and English.

For future reference, the problem with the original, as I see it now, is a subtle interaction between syntax and semantics. The original sentence combined two thoughts about has_key. The two should be either
coordinate (parallel in form) or one should be clearly subordinate. A subordinate modifier should generally be closer to the subject, especially if it is much shorter. Making that so was one of my suggestions. The coordinate form would be 'but it is deprecated'. But this does not work because 'it' would be somewhat ambiguous because of the particular first modifier.

The following pair of sentences illustrate what I am trying to say. Guido was once a Nederlander, but he moved to America. Guido was once a student of Professor X, but he moved to America.
In English, the second 'he' is ambiguous because of the particular first modifier.

So, to me, 'but deprecated' at the end of the sentence reads as either a misplaced subordinate form or as an abbreviated coordinate form that is at least somewhat ambiguous because of the meaning of the other modifier.