Path: utzoo!attcan!ncrcan!hcr!john
From: john@hcr.uucp (John R. MacMillan)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.c
Subject: Re: Language principles
Message-ID: <1990Feb13.153513.2196@hcr.uucp>
Date: 13 Feb 90 15:35:13 GMT
References: <1990Feb9.181942.24649@utzoo.uucp> <4721@rtech.rtech.com>
Reply-To: john@troch.UUCP (John R. MacMillan)
Organization: HCR Corporation, Toronto
Lines: 22

In article <4721@rtech.rtech.com> mikes@rtech.UUCP (Mike Schilling) writes:
|From article <1990Feb9.181942.24649@utzoo.uucp>, by henry@utzoo.uucp (Henry Spencer):
|> 
|> The point of this rule, which goes back a long way, is that an arbitrary
|> limit will usually get in the way eventually.  
|> ...
|> The only good numbers are zero (don't do it
|> at all), one (do it but don't let the issue of "how many" come up), and
|> infinity (let the user decide how many he wants).
|
|I also remember a suggestion that languages force symbolic names to be used 
|for constants other than zero and one, to make it harder to embed magic 
|numbers in code.  I think this was Glenford Myers's idea.

average = (a + b) / TWO

I think I'll buy Henry's explanation, but the other one seems a bit
silly.
-- 
John R. MacMillan	| For a long time I felt without style or grace
HCR Corporation		| Wearing shoes with no socks in cold weather
{utzoo,utcsri}!hcr!john	| -- Talking Heads