It depends on what you're working on. If this function were part of a website backend counting characters in usernames or something, it doesn't really matter at all. But if this is a helper function that is responsible for comparing billions of base pairs in genetic sequencing or part of a stock trading platform where microseconds matter, then you need to rethink it.

Would it matter? I assume itll be a O(2n) vs O(n) but I'm not sure if that's a big deal.

Lol, me too. In case I need to translate it to C later.

I didn`t even know about count method and used loops, lol. Thanks for the best solution!

what's the problem?

Like the clean cut solution! But I think, it defeats the purpose of beginner-friendly critical thinking, breaking down problems etc. Good work nonetheless :)

Cant believe i didn't think of that, DOH!

It's a variable within/passed to a function, so he's not modifying anything outside the local scope right?

Is it really a "Best practcie" to overwrite a variable?

It looks simple and clean. But it actually consumes more time than a for loop.

Again solution in one string