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Off by one solitude
(fed.dyne.org)
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this post was submitted on 19 Sep 2024
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I've been a software engineer for almost 20 years now. 'A', at index 0*, is the first thing in the array.
* well, unless you're using some language that actually is not zero-indexed. I think LUA is one?
That's because you use English, a language where ordinals traditionally begin at one.
So, based on
You're saying I can't be a programmer because I speak English?
No, what I said is true if you use zero-based numbering. But when communicating with others in English, the label "first" refers to the element with the smallest index. In zero-based numbering, the label "zeroth" refers to the element with the lowest index. It's just not the default in English, but you can definitely use zero-based numbering in English if you're willing to edit the configuration files.
Calling index zero the first is correct, but risks misunderstandings such as in the op comic
That is why many call index zero the zeroth index