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Modern Dictionaries by Raymond Hettinger

SF Python · talk · Watch on YouTube

Python, Ruby & scripting languagesAlgorithms & data structures

What it is

Python core developer Raymond Hettinger explains how Python's dictionary implementation evolved into the compact, ordered dict in Python 3.6. He uses pictures and small bits of pure Python, and covers key-sharing, compaction and versioning.

Why Hacker News recommends it

HN treats it as the definitive, engaging talk on hash table internals and Python dict ordering, and recommends it in tech-talk lists.

  • 9 people recommended it
  • 9 different months
  • 3 strong recommendations
  • first 2016, last 2025

What HN commenters said

  1. “one of the most insightful videos I've seen in a long time.”

    Insightful talk on evolution of Python dict implementation.

    tomnipotent, 2016-12 · Strong recommendation · in “Hash tables with open addressing”

  2. “Offered as a favourite tech talk.”

    svieira, 2018-04 · Strong recommendation · in “Ask HN: What is your favourite tech talk?”

  3. “personally, I'd watch any video with "Raymond Hettinger" in the title.”

    State of the art in Python dict implementation.

    AndrewOMartin, 2022-03 · Strong recommendation · in “Pre-Allocated Lists in Python”

  4. “Raymond Hettinger made an interesting talk about Python's dict (hash table)”

    Talk on how Python's dict evolved over time.

    Dowwie, 2017-02 · Recommendation · in “I Wrote My Fastest Hashtable”

  5. “is a quite interesting and technical talk about these changes”

    Technical talk explaining dict changes and iteration order.

    StreakyCobra, 2018-02 · Recommendation · in “Migrating to Python 3 with pleasure”

  6. “Talk by Raimond Hettinger about the new implementation with several other implementations”

    Talk on new compact dict implementation and alternatives.

    maxnoe, 2018-06 · Recommendation · in “Python 3 at Facebook”

  7. “This is a very interesting talk about the new tech”

    Talk on the new ordered dict implementation.

    bbrik, 2020-02 · Recommendation · in “Python dicts are now ordered”

  8. “He covers the history of dictionaries in python and how they evolved.”

    Covers history and evolution of Python dictionaries.

    crashbunny, 2020-02 · Recommendation · in “Python dicts are now ordered”

Excerpts from Hacker News comments, linked to the originals. Summaries and labels were written by a language model from those comments.

Topics: python, hash tables, dict, cpython, data structures

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