nixCraft 🐧Jun 25, 2024
Can you list programming languages where array indexing does not begin at zero?
Show threadMark GardnerJun 25, 2024

@nixCraft #Perl versions prior to 2019’s v5.30.0 let you change the base index value with the $[ special variable, mainly to placate #AWK migrations: https://perldoc.perl.org/variables/$%5B

(It had been deprecated since 2010’s v5.12.0)

$[ - Perldoc Browser

Show threadDemiguise 🇮🇱
@mjgardner @nixCraft This is quite cool - why was it omitted?
Jun 25, 2024 at 5:54pmWeb
Show threadMark GardnerJun 25, 2024

@demiguise @nixCraft It had always been discouraged since #Perl 5.000’s release in 1994: https://github.com/Perl/perl5/blob/a0d0e21ea6ea90a22318550944fe6cb09ae10cda/pod/perlvar.pod#user-content-pod27

As to “why”—you’d have to ask either #LarryWall or #AndyDougherty.

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Show threadCurtis "Ovid" Poe (he/him)Jun 26, 2024

@mjgardner @demiguise @nixCraft I believe it was because it was so fragile. If you didn't scope it correctly, it could break all arrays.

Even if you did scope it correctly, it could break programmer's brains because if you didn't see that indexing started with zero, it would be very easy to mishandle arrays.