From: Robert Klemme <bob.news@...>
Date: 2005-03-31T18:05:00+09:00
Subject: Re: Syntax sugar idea for loops


"Lasse Koskela" <lasse.koskela@gmail.com> schrieb im Newsbeitrag
news:3975e2d105033023544bb28311@mail.gmail.com...
> On Thu, 31 Mar 2005 16:34:44 +0900, Robert Klemme <bob.news@gmx.net>
wrote:
> > Yeah, "odd" and "even" are much too specific IMHO.  Using the index is
the
> > most general solution.
>
> True, odd and even are rather specific but is that such a bad thing,
> really? If the odd-even semantics are a common need, why not add
> support for it in the language?

Then I'd still prefer

class Fixnum
  def odd?() self % 2 == 1 end
  def even?() self % 2 == 0 end
end

over an iteration specific thing.

> I mean, why else would Ruby have
> Array.each etc. instead of for (i=0; i < x; i++) which is clearly more
> powerful in terms of all the things you can do with it?

Yeah, true.  But it's always balancing convenience vs. bloat: if you stick
too much convenience functionality into a language / library then it'll be
too bloated and there will be too many ways to do a single thing.  I think
that odd and even for iterations is not general enough and this not used
too much.  I may be wrong here though.

Kind regards

    robert