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Re: offset 1 list indexing

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On 06/16/2011 08:18 AM, Eric Sosman wrote:
> On 6/16/2011 12:42 AM, Michael Press wrote:
>> In article<itbtln$4bk$1@dont-email.me>,
>>   Eric Sosman<esosman@ieee-dot-org.invalid>  wrote:
...
>>>       A few months ago, I offered heaps as an example of how some
>>> programmers couldn't do simple index transformations, and were
>>> unable to write zero-based implementations.
>>>
>>>       Somewhat to my dismay, a few "programmers" in this group did
>>> in fact maintain that it was "too difficult" or "too confusing" or
>>> "too unnatural" to implement heaps in zero-based arrays.
>>>
>>>       Ye.  Flipping.  Gods.
>>>
>>>       "Programmers" who can't do simple arithmetic.

No, programmers who WON'T perform simple arithmetic that unnecessarily
complicates their code. There's a big difference.

>>>       Ye.  Flipping.  Gods.
>>
>> You've gone off the deep end. Get a grip;
>> or else tell me straight on I do not know
>> how to do simple arithmetic.
> 
>      Were you the person in that old thread who maintained that
> heaps couldn't/wouldn't/shouldn't be implemented with anything
> other than 1-based arrays?  I've forgotten.  But it's clear that
> no important property of a heap depends on the raw numerical
> values of the array indices: As long as you can compute the child
> indices from the parent's index and vice versa, you can implement
> a heap in an N-based array.
> 
>      And converting between a one-based index and an N-based
> index *is* simple arithmetic.

That the transformation can be done, and even that it's easy, doesn't
mean that it's a good idea to perform it. That it's not necessarily a
transformation worth performing, means that it's just plain ridiculous
to misinterpret a refusal to perform it as indicating an inability to
perform it.
-- 
James Kuyper

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offset 1 list indexing Michael Press <rubrum@pacbell.net> - 2011-06-14 21:02 -0700
  Re: offset 1 list indexing Malcolm McLean <malcolm.mclean5@btinternet.com> - 2011-06-14 21:29 -0700
  Re: offset 1 list indexing Nobody <nobody@nowhere.com> - 2011-06-15 05:58 +0100
  Re: offset 1 list indexing Tim Rentsch <txr@alumni.caltech.edu> - 2011-06-15 02:51 -0700
  Re: offset 1 list indexing jacob navia <jacob@spamsink.net> - 2011-06-15 12:01 +0200
    Re: offset 1 list indexing gwowen <gwowen@gmail.com> - 2011-06-15 03:55 -0700
  Re: offset 1 list indexing Mark Bluemel <mark_bluemel@pobox.com> - 2011-06-15 11:07 +0100
    Re: offset 1 list indexing Malcolm McLean <malcolm.mclean5@btinternet.com> - 2011-06-15 07:30 -0700
      Re: offset 1 list indexing Joe Pfeiffer <pfeiffer@cs.nmsu.edu> - 2011-06-15 11:19 -0600
        Re: offset 1 list indexing James Kuyper <jameskuyper@verizon.net> - 2011-06-15 22:57 -0400
        Re: offset 1 list indexing Joseph Huber <joseph.huber@NOREPLY.web.de> - 2011-06-16 09:28 +0200
          Re: offset 1 list indexing Angel <angel+news@spamcop.net> - 2011-06-16 15:05 +0000
          Re: offset 1 list indexing jacob navia <jacob@spamsink.net> - 2011-06-24 01:14 +0200
      Re: offset 1 list indexing Michael Press <rubrum@pacbell.net> - 2011-06-15 15:33 -0700
    Re: offset 1 list indexing Michael Press <rubrum@pacbell.net> - 2011-06-15 15:28 -0700
      Re: offset 1 list indexing Eric Sosman <esosman@ieee-dot-org.invalid> - 2011-06-15 23:34 -0400
        Re: offset 1 list indexing Michael Press <rubrum@pacbell.net> - 2011-06-15 21:42 -0700
          Re: offset 1 list indexing Eric Sosman <esosman@ieee-dot-org.invalid> - 2011-06-16 08:18 -0400
            Re: offset 1 list indexing James Kuyper <jameskuyper@verizon.net> - 2011-06-16 08:32 -0400
              Re: offset 1 list indexing Malcolm McLean <malcolm.mclean5@btinternet.com> - 2011-06-16 06:29 -0700
                Re: offset 1 list indexing James Kuyper <jameskuyper@verizon.net> - 2011-06-16 09:43 -0400
              Re: offset 1 list indexing Eric Sosman <esosman@ieee-dot-org.invalid> - 2011-06-16 20:50 -0400
                Re: offset 1 list indexing James Kuyper <jameskuyper@verizon.net> - 2011-06-17 08:56 -0400
                Re: offset 1 list indexing cri@tiac.net (Richard Harter) - 2011-06-17 15:11 +0000
            Re: offset 1 list indexing Michael Press <rubrum@pacbell.net> - 2011-06-16 23:54 -0700
              Re: offset 1 list indexing Phil Carmody <thefatphil_demunged@yahoo.co.uk> - 2011-06-23 21:45 +0300
                Re: offset 1 list indexing Tim Rentsch <txr@alumni.caltech.edu> - 2011-06-25 09:30 -0700
                Re: offset 1 list indexing pete <pfiland@mindspring.com> - 2011-06-25 13:10 -0400
                Re: offset 1 list indexing cri@tiac.net (Richard Harter) - 2011-06-25 18:18 +0000
                Re: offset 1 list indexing Eric Sosman <esosman@ieee-dot-org.invalid> - 2011-06-25 15:56 -0400
                Re: offset 1 list indexing James Kuyper <jameskuyper@verizon.net> - 2011-06-25 17:42 -0400
                Re: offset 1 list indexing cri@tiac.net (Richard Harter) - 2011-06-26 04:15 +0000
                Re: offset 1 list indexing pete <pfiland@mindspring.com> - 2011-06-26 01:51 -0400
                Re: offset 1 list indexing cri@tiac.net (Richard Harter) - 2011-06-26 15:48 +0000
                Re: offset 1 list indexing pete <pfiland@mindspring.com> - 2011-06-27 00:30 -0400
                Re: offset 1 list indexing Phil Carmody <thefatphil_demunged@yahoo.co.uk> - 2011-06-28 21:26 +0300
                Re: offset 1 list indexing pete <pfiland@mindspring.com> - 2011-06-28 23:36 -0400
                Re: offset 1 list indexing cri@tiac.net (Richard Harter) - 2011-06-29 15:28 +0000
                Re: offset 1 list indexing pete <pfiland@mindspring.com> - 2011-06-30 15:02 -0400
                Re: offset 1 list indexing Ike Naar <ike@sverige.freeshell.org> - 2011-06-26 07:00 +0000
                Re: offset 1 list indexing cri@tiac.net (Richard Harter) - 2011-06-26 15:20 +0000
                Re: offset 1 list indexing cri@tiac.net (Richard Harter) - 2011-06-26 03:41 +0000
                Re: offset 1 list indexing Eric Sosman <esosman@ieee-dot-org.invalid> - 2011-06-26 08:51 -0400
                Re: offset 1 list indexing cri@tiac.net (Richard Harter) - 2011-06-26 15:32 +0000
                Re: offset 1 list indexing Eric Sosman <esosman@ieee-dot-org.invalid> - 2011-06-26 11:48 -0400
                Re: offset 1 list indexing cri@tiac.net (Richard Harter) - 2011-06-26 16:43 +0000
                Re: offset 1 list indexing Phil Carmody <thefatphil_demunged@yahoo.co.uk> - 2011-06-28 21:30 +0300
                Re: offset 1 list indexing Karl Malbrain <malbrain@yahoo.com> - 2011-06-28 14:13 -0700
                Re: offset 1 list indexing Phil Carmody <thefatphil_demunged@yahoo.co.uk> - 2011-06-28 21:14 +0300
                Re: offset 1 list indexing Tim Rentsch <txr@alumni.caltech.edu> - 2011-06-29 01:14 -0700
  Re: offset 1 list indexing Eric Sosman <esosman@ieee-dot-org.invalid> - 2011-06-15 07:21 -0400
  Re: offset 1 list indexing Shao Miller <sha0.miller@gmail.com> - 2011-06-15 10:09 -0400
    Re: offset 1 list indexing Michael Press <rubrum@pacbell.net> - 2011-06-15 15:38 -0700
  Re: offset 1 list indexing China Blue Dolls <chine.bleu@yahoo.com> - 2011-06-25 21:04 -0700
    Re: offset 1 list indexing Eric Sosman <esosman@ieee-dot-org.invalid> - 2011-06-26 09:01 -0400
    Re: offset 1 list indexing Michael Press <rubrum@pacbell.net> - 2011-06-26 13:15 -0700

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