From: Pratibha
Subject: HyperSpec on POSITION
Date: Mon, 25 Nov 2002 03:10:17 +0000
Message-ID: <18e1cdb3.0211241910.7576adad@posting.google.com>

The Hyperspec page on POSITION, POSITION-*
   http://www.lispworks.com/reference/HyperSpec/Body/f_pos_p.htm
says:
  "The position returned is the index within sequence of the
   leftmost (if from-end is true) or of the rightmost
   (if from-end is false) element that satisfies the test;"

Is this an error in the HyperSpec?
Should this not read:
  "...leftmost (if from-end is false) or of the rightmost
   (if from-end is true) element..." ?

Are there other known errors in the HyperSpec?
Is there a list somewhere?

• Re: HyperSpec on POSITION Thomas F. Burdick
  • Re: HyperSpec on POSITION Pratibha
    • Re: HyperSpec on POSITION Tim Bradshaw

From: Thomas F. Burdick
Subject: Re: HyperSpec on POSITION
Date: Mon, 25 Nov 2002 07:52:53 +0000
Message-ID: <xcv4ra6jdbe.fsf@famine.OCF.Berkeley.EDU>

··········@yahoo.com (Pratibha) writes:

> The Hyperspec page on POSITION, POSITION-*
>    http://www.lispworks.com/reference/HyperSpec/Body/f_pos_p.htm
> says:
>   "The position returned is the index within sequence of the
>    leftmost (if from-end is true) or of the rightmost
>    (if from-end is false) element that satisfies the test;"
> 
> Is this an error in the HyperSpec?

Looks like it.

> Should this not read:
>   "...leftmost (if from-end is false) or of the rightmost
>    (if from-end is true) element..." ?

Yep.

> Are there other known errors in the HyperSpec?

Fo sho.

> Is there a list somewhere?

Not that I know of.

-- 
           /|_     .-----------------------.                        
         ,'  .\  / | No to Imperialist war |                        
     ,--'    _,'   | Wage class war!       |                        
    /       /      `-----------------------'                        
   (   -.  |                               
   |     ) |                               
  (`-.  '--.)                              
   `. )----'                               

From: Pratibha
Subject: Re: HyperSpec on POSITION
Date: Tue, 26 Nov 2002 01:36:35 +0000
Message-ID: <18e1cdb3.0211251736.12955277@posting.google.com>

> > Is this an error in the HyperSpec?
> Looks like it.

> > Are there other known errors in the HyperSpec?
> Fo sho.

I guess my assumption of infallibility of the HyperSpec
is now shattered.

I am still assuming though that the ANSI standard was
written and can be read ex cathedra, and that if there is
any error, it is only in the interpretation/translation
into the HyperSpec.

For example, in the HyperSpec page on FLOOR, CEILING, etc.
http://www.lispworks.com/reference/HyperSpec/Body/f_floorc.htm
about midway it says:
   "The remainder is an integer if both x and y are integers..."
but there is no previous (or subsequent) mention of what
x and y are.

From: Tim Bradshaw
Subject: Re: HyperSpec on POSITION
Date: Tue, 26 Nov 2002 08:58:51 +0000
Message-ID: <ey3u1i4671w.fsf@cley.com>

* ibpratibha  wrote:

> I am still assuming though that the ANSI standard was
> written and can be read ex cathedra, and that if there is
> any error, it is only in the interpretation/translation
> into the HyperSpec.

No, errors in the hyperspec will generally be in the ANSI standard
too.  Infallibility is something humans are not good at.

--tim