Re: One-based indexes in XPath

"I'm not a devil's advocate. 1-based indexing is the only correct
approach to software engineering."

Perhaps you are not (a devil's advocate) but that's outright statement
("the only correct approach ..." ) without giving any justification.

Re C++, Java, et al.

"They aren't modern though."

Perhaps modern is not a good qualitative.  Let's agree that modern ===
good.  So please enlighten me as to goodness.

"0-based indexing is a frequent source of bugs, due to the mismatch in
language that now enters the mental thought process."

"The first element is numbered 0. It should be numbered 1, because that
is the meaning of 1 in an ordinal context - the first item, not the
second."

Sorry, that is a fuzzy argument.  Reminds me of arithmetic tables in
primary school :-

  1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 10
 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30

Now ask the kids what is more difficult to learn, English or Arithmetic?
(when the decade changes on the same row).

Colin, seriously no teasing intended .. just a healthy debate .. and soon
back to XSLT.

Justin Johansson

P.S. Good reading is Simon Singh on "Fermat's Last Theorem".  The concept
of zero was a big thing in math history sublimed only by the invention or
discovery (take your pick) of the square root of minus one.