Dear J Forum:
Occassionally the zero index-origin trips me up; however, it's one of the
peculiarities of the language that I accept (like 0%0 = 0, rather than _.)
in order to use the power of J. I accepted it in APL, and I accept it in J.
Besides, most of the time I replace elements in an array after an "i."
search, which handles the base consistently. So I think that J developers
will make better use of their time than to add an option for 0/1 indexing.
Moreover, my degree was in pure mathematics. In set theory one begins with
the empty set as zero, and defines the next integer (n+1) as the union of n
and {n}. So the integer (n+1) is essentially the set of integers from zero
to n. In that regard, counting from zero is mathematically pleasing.
That said, I'll never be so gung-ho about the custom as to start lists with
zero, as, for example, in the chapter numbering of Ken Iverson's Concrete
Math Companion -- although I might be tempted label a Forward or an
Introduction as Chapter 0). Zero developed in the late middle ages, after
'first' was established as the leading item. I still bristle at using the
adjective 'zeroeth'.
Sincerely,
Leigh
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