Re: ctype second opinions

On Sun, 21 Jul 2002, Brent Cook wrote: > Therefore, $c is both alpha and digit. You could also interpret this > leads to a contradiction, i.e. reductio ad absurdum, and thus claim > that the moon is made of green cheese. That would of course be > irrational, since every one knows that it is actually of fine swiss > due to its glossy finish and nutty flavor. While I understand this is a little weird, I don't see why this is /that/ strange. When looking at open and closed spaces, normally a space is either open or closed (or neither). But, the empty set is /both/ open and closed. If you view each of the ctypes as elements living in the space of possible datatypes, a variable can be alpha, digits, etc. Normally, each belongs to one and only one type. But, just as the empty set is both open and closed, the empty string is also both alpha and digit, etc. -adam -- adam maccabee trachtenberg adam@trachtenberg.com