Debugging (was Re: Why not allow empty code blocks?)

[BartC]

On 02/08/2016 18:57, Steven D'Aprano wrote:
> On Wed, 3 Aug 2016 03:12 am, BartC wrote:
>
>> That's not a fundamental language feature. Repeat-N is. And if properly
>> designed, isn't an extra feature at all but a special case of a generic
>> loop.
>
> Which means it is NOT a fundamental language feature.
>
> "Repeat N without tracking the loop variable" is just a special case
> of "repeat N with tracking the loop variable", where you don't actually
> care what the loop variable is.

It's fundamental in that, when giving instructions or commands in 
English, it frequently comes up when you want something done a set 
number of times:

"Give me 20 push-ups"

"Press space 5 times"

"Do 10 laps"

Whoever has to execute these may need to keep count somehow, but that is 
not the concern of the person giving the commands.

You wouldn't say, count from 1 to 20, and for each value in turn, do a 
push-up. You could also say count backwards from 95 to 0 in fives; same 
effect. There are so many ways of specifying a loop that is executed 20 
times, that no one way can be the right one. So that extra information 
is irrelevant.

-- 
Bartc