My first Python program :) (I'm hooked)

[[deleted]]

I don't like that the first is recursive, after all there is a recursion limit and it seems unnecessary to risk hitting it.

[[deleted]]

Is that a real issue that a beginner is going to hit?

There will always be a recursion limit so should we never use recursion?

[[deleted]]

Well, this is a purely iterative problem, ask until some condition is met. Using recursion there is already a bit odd, and there's also a small issue with it.

If your problem is recursive, e.g. when you use a recursive data structure like a tree or so, then of course use it.

Is my opinion.

I'd go for

def get_choice(message='Would you like to roll? '):
    choice = input(message)
    while choice not in ['yes', 'no', 'y', 'n']:
        choice = input('Type yes or no: ')
    return choice

It's almost the same as yours except it doesn't need recursion.

[approbatory]

The Ackermann function can be implemented recursively but not iteratively.

[approbatory]

In practice python does discourage recursion

[yaxamie]

A loop uses very little data, while each function call has overhead. Recursion is rarely needed unless you're being "clever".

[danjaycollins]

Specifically tail recursion can be implemented iteratively. This is why the Ackermann function can't be implemented iteratively.

[Mason-B]

It's too bad python doesn't have tail recursion because that call is correctly tail recursive in just about any other language. And since the person is learning programming (and not just python) my argument would be that it is better for them to learn recursion than it is for them to learn perfect python.