From: "Hal E. Fulton" <hal9000@...>
Date: 2001-01-10T15:48:21+09:00
Subject: [ruby-talk:8994] Re: Ranges inside brackets for arrays

> 
> The truth are:
> 
>   * A range enumeration cannot go back, it's upward only.
> 
>   * But A range with end point less than start point is valid.
> 
>   * Thus 1..-1 is a completely valid range object.
> 
>   * Array and String internally convert negative end point into
>     size+n, where n is a negative number.
> 
>   * So range n..-m is interpreted as n..(size-m), thus works fine (if
>     n <= (size-m)).
> 
> QED. ;-)
> matz.

As the Zen stories say: "The student was then enlightened."

:)

Hal