From: Martin DeMello <martindemello@...>
Date: 2008-08-05T23:37:57+09:00
Subject: [ruby-core:18133] Re: New array methods cycle, choice, shuffle (plus bug in cycle)

On Sun, Aug 3, 2008 at 9:37 AM, Yukihiro Matsumoto <matz@ruby-lang.org> wrote:
> Hi,
>
> In message "Re: [ruby-core:18074] Re: New array methods cycle, choice, shuffle (plus bug in cycle)"
>    on Sat, 2 Aug 2008 06:43:56 +0900, David Flanagan <david@davidflanagan.com> writes:
>
> |If we agree that there is a use-case for adding #sample to the API, then
> |I would also argue again for #sample! which removes the sampled elements
> |from the array.  There is no way to write #sample! based on #sample and
> |I'd imagine that it would be usefule.
>
> I am against #sample!, because
>
>  * #sample! is not the receiver modifying version of #sample.
>  * the intention can be expressed much better by applying #shuffle first,
>   then retrieving some elements from the randomized array.

The second point looks wrong to me - I'd expect sample! to remove a
random set of elements from the array without disturbing the ordering
of the remaining elements.

martin