From: Martin DeMello <martindemello@...>
Date: 2007-07-17T01:32:28+09:00
Subject: Re: The Pebble in the Ruby Shoe

On 7/16/07, Axel Etzold <AEtzold@gmx.de> wrote:
> > Raphael Gillett wrote the following on 16.07.2007 15:22 :
> > > [...]
> > > The pebble in the Ruby shoe is the counter-intuitive use of indexing of
> > > elements of arrays, strings, etc., from 0 to n-1 instead of the more
> > > natural 1 to n.   Like prisoners who have got used to their chains, the
> > > Ruby community seems to have meekly accepted this impediment to clear
> > > thinking.
>
> Dear Raphael,
>
> from http://www.americanscientist.org/template/AssetDetail/assetid/51982?&print=yes,
>
>  an overview article about the history of around 6000 computer programming
> languages:
>
>
>
> "Still another perennially contentious issue is how to count. This one brings out the snarling
> dogmatism in the meekest programmer. Suppose we have a list of three items. Do we number
> them 1, 2, 3, or should it be 0, 1, 2? Everyone in computerdom knows the answer to that
> question, and knows it as an eternal truth held with the deepest, visceral conviction. Only one of
> the alternatives is logically tenable. But which is it ?.."

Should array indices start at 0 or 1? My compromise of 0.5 was
rejected without, I thought, proper consideration. -- Stan
Kelly-Bootle

martin