[Bug 3249] Constants

http://www.w3.org/Bugs/Public/show_bug.cgi?id=3249





------- Comment #3 from davep@iit.edu  2007-06-07 03:07 -------
(In reply to comment #0)

> In 3.3.4.1, the definition of "constant" needs tidying up. The link is to a
> definition of "enumerated constant", which doesn't make it clear whether there
> are any non-enumerated constants; moreover, the definition says that constants
> are undefined, which isn't helpful.

There are no other constants as we use the word.  (We don't use the word
'constant' linguistically to describe nouns such as '1' or 'one' (as opposed to
variables, whose value may be reassigned without changing the mathematical
structure under discussion).  Perhaps having the definition read "(enumerated)
constant".  We call them enumerated because the only ones we have are those
that get enumerated somewhere in the spec (as opposed to somehow being
described without being explicitly mentioned).  We call them undefined because
they carry no preordained meaning other than the use to which we put them in
the spec.  Shall we explain these terms?

> Related to this, In 3.3.4.1, is the distinction between INF and
> positiveInfinity intended (similarly NaN and notANumber, etc)?

Yes.  positiveInfinity (the  constant) is the value; 'INF' is its lexical
representation.  Similarly, notANumber is the value; 'NaN' is its lexical
representation.

Received on Thursday, 7 June 2007 03:08:01 UTC