>>>>> "Marshall" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> (M) wrote:
>M> Torben Ægidius Mogensen wrote: >>> >>> That's not true. ML has variables in the mathematical sense of >>> variables -- symbols that can be associated with different values at >>> different times. What it doesn't have is mutable variables (though it >>> can get the effect of those by having variables be immutable >>> references to mutable memory locations). >M> While we're on the topic of terminology, here's a pet peeve of >M> mine: "immutable variable." >M> immutable = can't change >M> vary-able = can change >M> Clearly a contradiction in terms. I would say that immutable = 'can't *be* changed' rather than 'can't change'. But I am not a native English speaker. Compare with this: the distance of the Earth to Mars is variable (it varies), but it is also immutable (we can't change it). -- Piet van Oostrum <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> URL: http://www.cs.uu.nl/~piet [PGP 8DAE142BE17999C4] Private email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] -- http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/python-list