Python Feature Request: Allow changing base of member indices to 1

[Paddy]

On Apr 15, 2:29 am, a... at mac.com (Alex Martelli) wrote:
> Sherm Pendley <spamt... at dot-app.org> wrote:
> > "Paddy" <paddy3... at googlemail.com> writes:
>
> > > I don't think we should add it to Python
> > > because it would make porting VB code easier.
>
> > Great Cthulhu no!
>
> > I chimed in because your first comment regarding Perl implied that it's
> > commonplace for Perl programmers to fiddle with the index base. It can
> > be done, for historical reasons, but it's far from common.
>
> Reminds me of APL's worst blunder -- "quadIO" (with IO standing for
> Index Origin, NOT Input/Output) could be set to 0 or 1, with global
> effect.  I worked a lot with APL and mostly loved it (APL2 even more
> so), and I'm saddened to read that the ACM wants to disband the APL SIG
> for lack of activity (though no doubt it's a reasonable decision, it
> badly tickles my nostalgia for years and decades gone) -- but the quadIO
> design decision was a truly major design blunder, and made it hell to
> integrate APL code from multiple sources.
>
> Alex

So the running count is:
  Ayes to the left:   VB compatibility.
  Nays to the right:  QuadIO, Perl, Dijkstra paper.

The nays have it!

- Paddy.