[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]
Degenerate array axes
Guy's suggested syntax extension seems to be the best way to go, IF we
really want to handle this problem properly. I'm not sure that this
degenerate case is worth the hassle of a major syntax extension,
however. The only reason we allowed a dimension to be 0 (in a vector)
was for APL compatibility -- the argument was that we may as well make
the boundary conditions such that someone could implement APL easily in
Common Lisp. So I guess the question is whether keeping a (0 5) array
distinct from a (0 10) array during reading and printing is really
necessary for APL compatibility and, if so, whether we continue to care
about APL compatibility. Maybe the right move is to require ALL
dimensions to be > 0 and not >= 0.
-- Scott