Re: [boost] Re: Date iterators in Boost Date-Time

From: Gabriel Dos Reis (gdr_at_[hidden])
Date: 2003-08-18 10:23:34

"Jeff Garland" <jeff_at_[hidden]> writes:

| On 18 Aug 2003 11:43:26 +0200, Gabriel Dos Reis wrote
| > Guillaume Melquiond <gmelquio_at_[hidden]> writes:
| > 
| > | In the case of a 1-dimension space, connected and convex set are
| > | equals: they are segments (or half-line or line or empty). Date
| > | manipulated by the date-time library are in a 1-dimension space 
| > (the | real line) and periods are segments (non-empty bounded convex 
| > | sets). So when you have two periods, the smallest period enclosing 
| > | these two is also the convex hull of them. Hence the name I  suggested.
| > 
| > that is fine for some mathematically oriented mind.  However, it is a
| > terrible name.
| 
| 
| Here is how I explain it:

Oh, I'm myself a Geometer and I understand the terminology and have a
good mental picture of it.  But if we were after accurate, descriptive
and mathematically oriented terminology, I can throw "geodesic arc"
for this particular case (and I may even attempt to justify it from
General Relativity point of view :-).

The point of my previous remark is that it is one thing to justify a
a name from a mathematically oriented point of view, it is another to
name a software entity designed for brother audience; and even for a
mathematical audiance I doubt it would be a good name in the case
under consideration.

-- Gaby