use Perl

• Cue the Mathematicians! (Score:2)

  by djberg96 (2603)

  Ruby and Python aren't discarding information. Perl is adding information, but only when it thinks it should be added. After all, if 5/2 returns 2.5, why doesn't 4/2 return 2.0? Or so one could argue.

  It boils down to a design decision. Guido and Matz decided that if you want integer division, you get integer division. Larry took a DWIM approach.

  As a guy who doesn't care one way or the other really, I think Perl's approach is better for simple cases, and worse as you get into more complex operations.
  • Re: (Score:1)

    by rjbs (4671)

    Ruby and Python aren't discarding information. Perl is adding information, but only when it thinks it should be added. After all, if 5/2 returns 2.5, why doesn't 4/2 return 2.0? Or so one could argue. One would be making a ridiculous argument. "2" does not mean "2 and maybe some fractional part." It means "2, exactly." "2.0" does not add information, unless your language has some sense of significant figures, which was not at issue here.

    It boils down to a design decision. Guido and Matz decided that if you want integer division, you get integer division. Larry took a DWIM approach.

    You're begging the question! Yes, they made this decision. Why?

    As a guy who doesn't care one way or the other really, I think Perl's approach is better for simple cases, and worse as you get into more complex operations. Obviously there are times when you don't want that behavior, which is why Perl offers the Integer() function (which I do see from time to time).

    --
    rjbs
    • Question Begging (Score:1)

      by DAxelrod (4649) on 2006.12.10 13:12 (#52185) Journal

      Very much tangential, but...

      You're begging the question!

      Thank you so much. I had started to think that there was nobody left on the internet who was able to use that phrase correctly. I salute you, rjbs.

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