random_throw

This is discussed as item 12 in Effective Python. The author argues that you should avoid "else" blocks after "for" and "while" loops. The main argument is that the behavior is not intuitive and could be confusing upon reading given its somewhat obscure usage.

He suggests using a helper function with an early exit or setting a result variable and using a break in your loop instead.

I'd venture to say you're wrong about Salt. It's being used at some large enterprises. I use it (in one of the large tech companies) on thousands of servers, with plans to up that an order of magnitude or more. Of all of the solutions mentioned, it has been the most powerful, while also being the most scalable.

Other than that, my experiences line up with yours almost exactly.

Key bit:

"In head-to-head studies, agomelatine, amitriptyline, escitalopram, mirtazapine, paroxetine, venlafaxine, and vortioxetine were more effective than other antidepressants (range of ORs 1·19–1·96), whereas fluoxetine, fluvoxamine, reboxetine, and trazodone were the least efficacious drugs (0·51–0·84)."

I find this low-level optimization and performance tuning fascinating. Can anyone recommend any good resources to get started with solving these kinds of problems?