Re: The naive test for equality

vc wrote:
> " The word "symbols" refers not only to the symbols used to exchange
> data between people and computers, but also to each of the data items
> inside the computer "
>
> To rephrase, you defined the word "symbol" as:
>
> 1. something used for human consumption, presumably a string of
> characters on paper used to name the thing humans work with ;
> 2. internal implementation of the apparently same things the computer
> works with ;
>
> Now, you are giving another, even vaguer definition of "symbol",
> namely, as "numbers managed by a computer". So, which one out of
> three is it to be ?

I think the word "symbol" has a very well-known English language meaning. We're talking here very informally; this isn't a mathematical journal so I don't think formal logical definitions are necessary here.

Sorry to stoop to dictionary definitions, but...:

sym·bol n.

# Something that represents something else by association, resemblance, or convention, especially a material object used to represent something invisible.

# A printed or written sign used to represent an operation, element, quantity, quality, or relation, as in mathematics or music.

I think it's clear what we're talking about here.

> What's interesting, whilst talking about symbols, representations and
> such, you've forgot about the real thing, the value, which is of
> primary interest for modelling, with the value's name and
> implementation being important but secondary considerations.

We're not talking about modelling here though; isn't the whole point of the thread about physical implementation of equality in a DBMS?

Paul. Received on Wed Aug 10 2005 - 14:52:06 CDT