Why is int(50)<str(5) in python 2.x?

Question

In python 3, int(50)<\'2\' causes a TypeError, and well it should. In python 2.x, however, int(50)<\'2\' returns True

Answer 1

The reason why these comparisons are allowed, is sorting. Python 2.x can sort lists containing mixed types, including strings and integers -- integers always appear first. Python 3.x does not allow this, for the exact reasons you pointed out.

Python 2.x:

>>> sorted([1, '1'])
[1, '1']
>>> sorted([1, '1', 2, '2'])
[1, 2, '1', '2']

Python 3.x:

>>> sorted([1, '1'])
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "", line 1, in 
TypeError: unorderable types: str() < int()