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> Those of us who had to really analyze number systems in order to
> design computers have always recognized that one started counting at
> zero.  (Although there was a misguided bunch who had both negative
> and positive zeroes in their implementations.)

This is a common misconception among computer programmers who choose
to be rabidly nerdy.  "I write my loops starting at zero, so zero is
the only place to start counting," they proclaim.

Wrong.

Humans count from 1.  They *MEASURE* from zero (note where your tape
measure starts).  The confusion among geeks arises because when you
are writing a computer program that counts something, it is often
better to write the code so that it measures that thing, so starting
at zero makes sense.

As to the millennium, as others have pointed out it's all arbitrary.
You can scream for mathematical precisions all you want, but the
reality is that there are going to be big parties *this* year and it
seems silly to sit at home saying "humbug" instead of enjoying
oneself.  Will there be big parties next year as well?  Probably.  I,
for one, won't complain if I have fun twice instead of once.

And now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go play with my FIRST-born
child.
--
    Geoff Kuenning   geoff@cs.hmc.edu   http://fmg-www.cs.ucla.edu/geoff/

Software, like bridges, should be elegant and visually pleasing as
well as functional.  Ugly constructs, designs, and languages should be
avoided like the plague.

   

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