http://www.cs.utexas.edu/users/EWD/transcriptions/EWD08xx/EWD831.html On Dec 24, 2013 11:09 AM, "R.E. Boss" <[email protected]> wrote:
> > From: [email protected] [mailto:programming- > > [email protected]] On Behalf Of Raul Miller > > Subject: Re: [Jprogramming] A little question > > > > I'd like to note an oddity about numbers and their words: > > > > 0 First > > 1 Second > > 2 Third > > 3 Fourth > (...) > > Well, as you know, the oddity relates to the strange way of numbering used > in programming (and J). > It's as odd as teaching children to count 1,2,... and then when they start > programming, we tell them: no it should be 0,1,2,... > (Comparable with teaching little children to talk and when they do, tell > them to shut up.) > > I have never read any good reason why programmers should count starting by > 0. > And one of the good reasons _not_ to do that in J particular, is that > counting from the last one is done by _1, _2, ... > I don't want to reopen this old discussion, but it is peculiar you call it > an oddity. > > > R.E. Boss > > (Add your info to http://www.jsoftware.com/jwiki/Community/Demographics ) > > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > For information about J forums see http://www.jsoftware.com/forums.htm > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- For information about J forums see http://www.jsoftware.com/forums.htm
