in reply to Re: Why is the null while-loop condition expression true?
in thread Why is the null while-loop condition expression true?

I have to agree the infinitude of while () { ... } does seem a bit counterintuitive

I agree with your reaction, but not your conclusion. With while(1){ doing the intuitively obvious,

I can see absolutely no justification for equivalence between that and while(){

Seems most likely to be a bug that slipped through rather than a deliberate act; and remains because of some misguided backward compatibility justifiction; despite that no one in their right mind would code an infinite loop that way in order to save 1 character.

A bug masquerading as a feature is my assessment.

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Re^3: Why is the null while-loop condition expression true?
by Anonymous Monk on Mar 28, 2016 at 22:45 UTC
    The source code from v1 seems to make it pretty clear it was deliberate, never a bug. I am with AnomalousMonk. While while(){} is an odd synonym at first blush for while(1){} the idea of ever writing while(){} to mean… all the enclosed code is just for laughs because I never want it to run is even sillier.
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      the idea of ever writing while(){} to mean… all the enclosed code is just for laughs because I never want it to run is even sillier.

      Hm. That would mean if( 0 ) & while( 0 ) were silly also, yet the Perl sources, amongst many others, are littered with innumerable examples of both.

      Countering a conclusion, because it happens to have been drawn by me, is the very definition of "silly".

      In every other case empty parens () mean false; to deem while() to mean the opposite, is...; well, it starts with s and is somewhat stronger than "silly".

      With the rise and rise of 'Social' network sites: 'Computers are making people easier to use everyday'
      Examine what is said, not who speaks -- Silence betokens consent -- Love the truth but pardon error.
      "Science is about questioning the status quo. Questioning authority". I knew I was on the right track :)
      In the absence of evidence, opinion is indistinguishable from prejudice.
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        it starts with s and is somewhat stronger than "silly".
        … "sinconsistent"? Ah, no, "sinful" :-)
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