Explanations for "Strings can be tricky sometimes!" are incomplete

[jseakle]

The main issue is that they do not address the third snippet at all, "a" * 20 vs "a" * 21.

I'm also very curious to know /why/ it's the case that

Strings that are not composed of ASCII letters, digits or underscores, are not interned. This explains why 'wtf!' was not interned due to !.

If it were just non-ASCII, that would make some sense, but what problems could interning a string with an exclamation point cause?

[sohaibfarooqi]

You can read This SO post for details. It covers everything you need to know.

[jseakle]

The existence of an SO post doesn't mean the explanation section isn't incomplete. The main issue is that it does not address the third snippet at all, "a" * 20 vs "a" * 21.

[sohaibfarooqi]

@jseakle I completely agree with you. Even I noticed this too when I was reading the explanation portion. Then I searched on SO and found the post that I posted in my earlier comment.

Someone really have to improve the explanation for this portion.

[sheljohn]

+1, I was looking for the same explanation :) Would @satwikkansal be able to add a few words about this? Would a PR make it easier?

[satwikkansal]

Alright guys, really sorry for the ignorance. I've fixed this up in a0100a8 Let me know if things are still unclear.

[sheljohn]

@satwikkansal Just submitted a PR about this :) Should I delete it? I think it would be good to mention that is should not be used for value comparison.

[satwikkansal]

If it were just non-ASCII, that would make some sense, but what problems could interning a string with an exclamation point cause?

A look at the source code shows that this is defined here used here to decide if a string should be interned or not.

[satwikkansal]

@sheljohn oops, I didn't knew that, I'm having a look at your PR (y)

[satwikkansal]

Should I delete it? I think it would be good to mention that is should not be used for value comparison.

@sheljohn left a few comments at the PR. I guess maybe we should only go with the typo (fullstop) change for the time being.

[satwikkansal]

Alright everyone, closing this now. Feel free to reopen the issue if explanation is still confusing/incorrect/insufficient.