Re: Infinite lists (was Re: RFC 24 (v1) Semi-finite (lazy) lists)

[John Porter]

Ken Fox wrote:
> 
> Both of those expressions are the infinite list (-infinity..-1). I have
> no idea how to write that properly 'cause I'm not a math guy. These
> things aren't streams (infinite queues) -- they're infinite stacks. I'm
> not sure they have a name in computer science.

O.k., here's the basic question.  (If someone has already answered this,
I didn't find it satisfactorily comprehensible.  Assume I'm an idiot.)

What would be the output of the following program:

        $\ = "\n";
        $i = 0;
        for ( .. -1 ) {
                $i++;
                last if $i > 2;
                print 
        }

If the answer is (as I suspect), "This never prints anything; it goes
into an infinite loop just trying to generate the first number", then
the proposal is absurd and should be scrapped.

-- 
John Porter