Re: [If/then and sequences...]
- Posted by Derek Parnell <dparnell at BIGPOND.NET.AU> Aug 30, 2000
- 441 views
Agreed Matt. I'll never support a greater_than/less_than function. In fact, I can't understand the rationale behind compare() and equal() either. To me, it seems a lot more intuitive just to use the '=', '<', '>' symbols with sequences. I can't understand Robert's idea that using these symbols with sequences is a bad thing. So what's the big deal with ... sequence A,B if A = B then .... I know the rules say that '=' only works with atoms, but why have this restriction, given that people already use the "work around" called compare() ? ----- Original Message ----- From: "Matthew Lewis" <MatthewL at KAPCOUSA.COM> To: <EUPHORIA at LISTSERV.MUOHIO.EDU> Sent: Wednesday, August 30, 2000 7:33 AM Subject: Re: [If/then and sequences...] > I can understand the utility of this, but we already have this with compare. > OK, OK, technically, we could say the same thing about equal(), but > > if not compare( a, b) then > ... > end if > > seems a lot more confusing than > > if compare(a,b) < 0 then -- meaning a<0 > > And I don't think there's as much demand for the greater or less functions > than there is for equal. > > Matt Lewis > > > > > -----Original Message----- > > From: Derek Parnell > > > > It gives us a way of arbitrarily, yet consistently, ordering a set of > > sequences. In other words, it enables us to know with 100% > > accuracy, where a > > given sequence is in an ordered set of sequences. The rules > > employed to > > determine which of two sequences comes first is arguably > > immaterial, as long > > as they always work the same way. > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > > From: "Ben Fosberg" <BenFosberg at ATT.NET> > > > > > What does it mean to say that one sequence is "greater > > than" or "less > > than" another sequence, > > > given that the constituent "elements" of a sequence could > > be of any data > > type, including > > > other sequences? > > >