Xref: utzoo comp.lang.modula2:668 comp.lang.misc:1119
Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!lll-winken!lll-lcc!ames!ll-xn!mit-eddie!uw-beaver!uw-june!pattis
From: pattis@june.cs.washington.edu (Richard Pattis)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.modula2,comp.lang.misc
Subject: 0-based/1-based arrays
Message-ID: <4343@june.cs.washington.edu>
Date: 2 Mar 88 18:14:51 GMT
References: <7161@sol.ARPA> <2740@mmintl.UUCP>
Organization: U of Washington, Computer Science, Seattle
Lines: 7
Summary: A concrete reason to prefer one over the other

I too detest 0-based arrays (and think 1-based arrays are better).  In trying
to rationalize this choice, I came up the the following argument: When we
process arrays, we often need to know the size of the array and/or the
position of the last element.  In 0-based arrays, these quantites are off by
one; in 1-based arrays they are the same.  Hence, I think that people will
make fewer errors with 1-based arrays.

Rich Pattis