Some questions on Slate syntax

Tony Garnock-Jones tonyg at lshift.net
Sun Apr 3 10:02:48 PDT 2005


Shaping wrote:
> Indeed, one counts not 
> absence, but presence.  You are mixing different ideas in the same 
> operational continuum (counting).  The mistake is being made between 
> your first step (0) and second step (1).  The two are non-sequitar if 
> you intended to hold to natural order. You are free, of course, to 
> indulge arbitrary abstractions, but do not call the resulting operation 
> /natural counting/.  I suggest normalizing:  eliminate the incongruous 
> first step.

Consider an algebraic type definition of non-negative integers:

Num = Zero | Succ of Num

What is the first representable number? Zero.

Counting is not the same as enumerating.

Tony




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