> Beware, Range exists in other languages (python, etc..).
> We should check if they correspond to a Smalltalk Interval or a
> mathematical Interval.
> If they correspond to a Smalltalk Interval, that will be one more
> un-necessary trap.
> 
> Note that we rarely use Interval, we just use #to: or #to:by:, so we
> could as well rename Interval->Range.
> And postpone creation of Mathematical Interval which is most likely
> unused in kernel image.


Why not? Now it would be good to move. 
but what I know is that igor wanted to have range intersection for the new text 
model.
Another question: who thinks that ruby look at Smalltalk when they take a 
decision on their library?
I do not think so. We can check what is around and **improve** our nice system

Stef

> 2012/12/16 Stéphane Ducasse <[email protected]>:
>> I agree so we should introduce Range.
>> Did not you or camillo started to have Range?
>> It can be a really nice class.
>> 
>> Stef
>> On Dec 16, 2012, at 4:55 PM, Igor Stasenko wrote:
>> 
>>> So, to my sense a behavior of Interval is overloaded..
>>> it tries to be too many things at once:
>>> - be an interval in math sense (which is infinite set if used for Real 
>>> numbers)
>>> - be a "collection" of numbers which you can enumerate (implies that
>>> it is finite).
>>> 
>>> to me, i would be much happier if we could have two different and
>>> non-intersecting entities:
>>> 
>>> - Enumeration. This one indeed can be used as a collection. i.e.
>>> "give me all integer numbers lying between values A and B, count each
>>> C-th number"
>>>  Like that,
>>>  (1 to: 1.5 by: 1) is enumeration which contains a single element.
>>> and #last should be = 1
>>> 
>>> - Interval (Range). A pure interval in math sense:  defines a Set of
>>> numbers lying between numbers A and B, inclusive, where A <= B. Not
>>> enumerable, therefore no 'step' variable, instead what it could have,
>>> is flags to indicate whether interval endpoints included into interval
>>> or not.. i.e. (a,b) vs [a,b] vs [a,b) vs (a,b].
>>> 
>>> Not supporting enumeration (no #do: , no #add: no #at: etc). You can,
>>> however intersect, merge or diff two intervals etc.. same operations
>>> which you doing on sets (but that would require another entity -
>>> interval set). And of course, you can test whether some number lies
>>> within given interval or not.
>>> 
>>> The reason i started this topic is because some code were using
>>> 'range' for variables which holding intervals..
>>> Now what you think is more appropriate protocol for something called
>>> 'range', this:
>>> 
>>> x := range first
>>> y := range last
>>> 
>>> or this:
>>> 
>>> x := range start
>>> y := range end
>>> 
>>> 
>>> --
>>> Best regards,
>>> Igor Stasenko.
>>> 
>> 
>> 
> 


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