Re: numbers vs. strings

On Wed, Jul 16, 2003 at 07:10:56PM -0700, Turadg Aleahmad wrote:
> Hi.  I sent this to #sisc but I keep missing you guys so I'll post it 
> here.  Part of our intro CS curriculum requires running + on strings.  I 
> didn't write it so I can't defend it, but it's my job to make it work.  
> And it used to:
> 
> SISC (r1.4.1) - main
> > (+ 1 "2")
> 3

The copy of 1.4.1 I just downloaded most certainly does not allow this:

SISC (r1.4.1) - main
> (+ 1 "2")
Error in +: expected type number, got '"2"'.
>


> 
> SISC (1.8.1-alpha) - main
> #;> (+ 1 "2")
> Error in +: expected type number, got '"2"'.
> #;>
> 
> 
> This is with STRICT_R5RS turned off.  Is it possible to make strings 
> become numbers automagically like before?  As an option or whatever.

There was a message waiting for you on the channel, but it boils down 
to, "What the *%#!$?"  If strings were acceptable to plus in the past, 
it was a bug.  It seems a little bizarre that one would add this 
confusion in a curriculum.  

I really can't justify such a change in the codebase, but you're welcome 
to do it yourself, though it would require quite a lot of modification.

	Scott

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