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Message-ID: <4005885.mC9YbZ1duh@PointedEars.de>
From: Thomas 'PointedEars' Lahn <PointedEars@web.de>
Reply-To: Thomas 'PointedEars' Lahn <cljs@PointedEars.de>
Organization: PointedEars Software (PES)
Date: Fri, 03 Feb 2012 01:47:45 +0100
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Subject: Re: Comparing arraies
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Thomas 'PointedEars' Lahn wrote:

> Michael Haufe (TNO) wrote:
> | […] in JavaScript all tables (associative arrays) are indexed by
> | [strings, and nothing else."
> 
> There are _no_ (built-in) "associative arrays" or "tables" in JavaScript
> (the programming language).  There are *objects* (as required by ES 5.1,
> section 8.6, and corresponding sections of earlier Editions, of which
> JavaScript is stated by the respective vendor [see below] to be an
> implementation of).  [How ECMAScript objects are to be implemented in a
> programming language is _not_ specified.]
> 
> Objects are _not_ "indexed by string".  Objects *have properties* with
> String-type names, where with Array instances some property names with
> numeric representation are special (ES 5.1, 15.4).  [That particular
> misconception might be a direct result of David Flanagan's listing `['…`]'
> as "Array/index operator" in his "JavaScript: The Definitive Reference"
> (IIRC).]

I meant "JavaScript: The Definitive Guide" as mentioned in the FAQ.  The 
relevant section of the Sixth(?) Edition of that book has been reviewed
here (by mere chance) by Richard Cornford and criticised accordingly, while 
David Flanagan (by rare appearance here) was not convinced in the following 
discussion that this listing could be positively harmful.  I might be able 
to find the Message-ID later if anyone is interested.

-- 
PointedEars