Is there any difference between range() and xrange

Is there any difference between range() and xrange() methods in Python 2.x?

xrange() provides more flexibility compared to that provided by range(), like specified step, decreasing order generation, etc
range() method returns a list of numbers while xrange() returns a generator which can be used for lazy evaluation
xrange() method returns a list of numbers while range() returns a generator which can be used for lazy evaluation
These methods are identical

Explanation

In Python 2.x range() method returns a whole list of numbers while xrange() returns a generator. Later this generator can be used to get numbers one by one in a so-called lazy evaluation manner. In Python 3 described range() method was deprecated and xrange() method was renamed to range().