No-one said it was the 0th freedom. RMS was using the numbers to indicate the index. It was given an index of 0, which anyone with even basic programing or even technology knowledge knows that it refers to how many places from the beginning of a list the item occurs. An index of 0 indicates it's the first item in the list.
And furthermore, zero does not indicate a lack of a number, anymore than the digit 9 indicates 9 numbers. A number is used to count how many of some object exist. 0 means none exist, 9 means 9 exist. Every numbering system on planet earth includes 0 as a number.
If you want to pull out a dictionary, look up 'zero'. A couple of my favorite definitions include:
"A cardinal number indicating the absence of any or all units under consideration."
"An ordinal number indicating an initial point or origin."
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Re:Uh?
Posted by: Jeremy Akers on July 18, 2006 03:50 AMAnd furthermore, zero does not indicate a lack of a number, anymore than the digit 9 indicates 9 numbers. A number is used to count how many of some object exist. 0 means none exist, 9 means 9 exist. Every numbering system on planet earth includes 0 as a number.
If you want to pull out a dictionary, look up 'zero'. A couple of my favorite definitions include:
"A cardinal number indicating the absence of any or all units under consideration."
"An ordinal number indicating an initial point or origin."
-Jeremy
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