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NNTP-Posting-Date: Sat, 10 Jun 2017 11:18:37 -0500
From: Gareth Owen <gwowen@gmail.com>
Newsgroups: comp.lang.c
Subject: Re: memscan() function or equivalent
References: <fc95db66-ccd5-4fbc-83bf-84cb17257d41@googlegroups.com> <20170607154705.f161b2807eb2b1a8dc12d389@gmail.com> <12fb0e96-0ac3-442d-8d04-baaef4234a85@googlegroups.com> <20170607164800.a6fba9d07170ec5d056d25a0@gmail.com> <878tl3g5jw.fsf@bsb.me.uk> <kfnmv9h9d47.fsf@x-alumni2.alumni.caltech.edu> <878tl0fjh1.fsf@gmail.com> <87tw3o9gve.fsf@bsb.me.uk>
Date: Sat, 10 Jun 2017 17:18:36 +0100
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Xref: csiph.com comp.lang.c:111930

Ben Bacarisse <ben.usenet@bsb.me.uk> writes:

> The *s0 == c0 is an indicator function (APL uses these a lot) giving
> zero for the 'no' cases and one for the 'yes' cases.  A count of things
> (any things) in a sequence is the sum of an suitable indicator function
> mapped onto the elements of the sequence.

Your idea of "easily comprehended by a human" and mine appear to differ.

My explanation involves the notion of "if some predicate, do some action".

Yours explantion is based on the notion that "A count of things (any
things) in a sequence is the sum of an suitable indicator function
mapped onto the elements of the sequence."

Now don't get me wrong - I understand that pretty easily. But I have
multiple degrees in mathematics, and 20+ years programming experience.

If I were to try the two explainations on my wife (degrees in music and
history, postgraduate qualification in education), I suspect I know
which one she would understand.

Then she would tell me I spelt "explainations" incorrectly.