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From: glen herrmannsfeldt <gah@ugcs.caltech.edu>
Newsgroups: alt.comp.lang.borland-delphi,comp.lang.c,comp.lang.java.programmer
Subject: Re: Oracle/Google demonstrate human beings cannot write 10 lines of code without making a mistake ;)
Date: Thu, 17 May 2012 18:33:31 +0000 (UTC)
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In comp.lang.java.programmer Skybuck Flying <Windows7IsOK@dreampc2006.com> wrote:

(snip)

>>>     if (fromIndex < 0)
>>>         throw new ArrayIndexOutOfBoundsException(fromIndex);
>>>     if (toIndex > arrayLen)
>>>         throw new ArrayIndexOutOfBoundsException(toIndex);


(snip, someone else wrote)

>> I believe it is checking whether the range fromIndex, fromIndex+1, ...,
>> toIndex-1 -- i.e., a range given as the first index and one past the
>> last index, not an uncommon practice -- is within the array, in which
>> case it has no bugs.  (toIndex may legally equal the length of the array
>> when the range extends to the last element, and requiring the range to
>> be specified "the right way around" is not especially perverse.)
>> "

> It's simply not valid. Out of bounds has a very clear meaning 
> in programming practice. It's either within bounds or it's not. 

But this isn't "programming" it is Java, and Java can do it however
it wants to.

> The bounds of a java array are very clearly defined. Thus the 
> only logical conclusion is that the code is simply bugged.  
> Either in logic or in description. Either change the 
> exception-description or fix the code.

Look at the definition of the substring method in String class.

It avoids a lot of -1 by the programmer to define it this way.
(Along with consistently starting indexing at zero.)

-- glen