Sorry to take so long in replying...
[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
>
> I believe that in essence we differ on whether the two example functions,
> next and insert (and with them all other series related functions), can be
> fully, and can only be explained by reviewing how they apply to your case
> iii). You say about case iii)
>
> >I think it's accurate to state
> >that iii) is an anonymous data entity (whether it even HAS an index
> >is moot, as it is inaccessible),
>
Let me correct myself on one detail. An "anonymous" string still has
the behavior of a series.
>> blob: [1 "hello" 2]
== [1 "hello" 2]
>> blob/2
== "hello"
The second element of 'blob refers to a string/series referring to
the first position in a sequence of characters containing #"h",
#"e", #"l", #"l", and #"o". This string is "anonymous" in that it
can be accessed without the use of a variable which directly refers
to it.
>> a: next blob/2
== "ello"
'a is set to a string which refers to the same sequence of
characters, but at the second position.
>> b: next a
== "llo"
'c is then set to a string referring to the same sequence of
characters, but at the third position.
>> replace blob/2 "h" "j"
== "jello"
>> blob
== [1 "jello" 2]
The (shared) sequence of characters has been modified using the
anonymous string/series at the second position of 'blob.
>> head a
== "jello"
>> head b
== "jello"
Because the sequence of characters is referred to by all of the
string/series values under discussion, the change can be "seen"
via any of them.
>> a
== "ello"
>> b
== "llo"
However, changing that sequence of characters via a different series
that refers to it did not change the position of other series values
that also refer to it.
>
> See, if insert and next can be demonstrated to apply exclusively to your
> case iii) then it is no longer true that:
>
> >
> >Performing {a: next a} changes something that is specific to 'a,
> >while performing {append a "?"} changes something shared by 'a and 'b
> >without changing anything that is specific to 'a.
>
> If there is no 'a or 'b or 'c, and still 'next and 'insert continue to act
> as they do when you apply them to 'a and 'b and 'c, then certainly what
> 'next changes canoot be something that is specific to 'a and so on.
>
> In order to follow your example of keeping messages short, let me first
> verify that you agree with the logic of my argument, before I proceed to
> demonstrate that not only 'insert but also 'next is effective on the
> "anonymous data entity" and all that 'a and 'b do is record the state of
> that entity and nothing else.
>
'insert and 'next can certainly work on the anonymous series at the
second position of 'blob. However, I enthusiastically disagree with
the statement that "all that 'a and 'b do is record the state of that
entity and nothing else". The position of the series referred to by
'a is distinct from the position of the series referred to by 'b (and
as we saw in the example above, both are distinct from the position of
the anonymous series at 'blob/2).
To be a bit sloppy with my terminology, a's position is not a part of
the data that is shared with b and blob/2, and b's position is not part
of the data shared with a and blob/2, and blob/2's position is not part
of the data shared with a and b. Those distinct positions are precisely
a "something else" other than the sequence of characters to which they
all refer.
-jn-
