On 5/7/05, Daniel Carrera
Hamilton Richards wrote:
Well, for starters, lists and arrays are two entirely different topics. I've noticed that Haskell newbies sometimes confuse them --possibly the use of [] in list types and enumerations triggers an unconscious association with [] used in conventional languages for array indexing.
I think it's because there's no real reason for someone to think that the words "list" and "array" might not be synonims. I certainly don't seen a linguistic distinction. Either term refers to an ordered collection of items.
Hmm. Not sure I agree. For me an "array" is a fixed set of elements which may or not contain stuff (not necessarily in a CS context but just linguistically). A "list" is more of a linear structure. An array is a sheet of paper with lines on it, a list is the todo-list written on that paper. Anyway. There is a difference, and I think the names reflect that pretty well. /S -- Sebastian Sylvan +46(0)736-818655 UIN: 44640862