Randy MacDonald <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Yet > > 2: (0 0$0) > > does not give a domain error. There is a fine line between consistency > and dogma.
There is a very fundamental distinction: The PRIMARY PURPOSE of many foreigns is to perform a system-dependent function (which has no arguments). Should such functions later be extended by adding arguments to the language, it is easy to make the foreigns backwards-compatible with the new behavior by, say, taking a list whose trailing items default to backwards-compatible values. However, if the behavior is currently defined to explicitly ignore arguments, such extension are no longer possible (or must be added in awkwardly, via a!:b!.c which is not only awkward, but doesn't permit the argument to be passed tacitly.) On the other hand, the PRIMARY function of verbs like 2: is to EXPLICITLY ignore their parameters and produce constant values. As such, ignoring the parameter is not merely a convenient side-effect, but an essential, fundamental property of such verbs. -- Mark D. Niemiec <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> ---------------------------------------------------------------------- For information about J forums see http://www.jsoftware.com/forums.htm
