[Haskell-cafe] Why is there no "splitSeperator" function in Data.List

[Peter Simons]

Hi Evan,

 >>> The reason it's not in Data.List is because there are a bazillion
 >>> different splits one might want (when I was pondering the issue
 >>> before Brent released it, I had collected something like 8
 >>> different proposed splits), so no agreement could ever be reached.
 >>
 >> It is curious though that the Python community managed to agree on a
 >> single implementation and include that in the standard library… So
 >> it is possible :)
 >
 > This is sometimes cited as the advantage of a benevolent
 > dictator-for-life. I remember there was lots of argument when 'join'
 > was added as a string method (vs. should it be a list method). In the
 > end, Guido decided on one and that's what went in.

having a dictator is not a necessary prerequisite for the ability to
make decisions. It's quite possible to decide controversial matters
without a dictator -- say, by letting people vote.

Take care,
Peter