[Bug 13745] New: [XQuery 3.0] "deterministic" and "nondeterministic"

http://www.w3.org/Bugs/Public/show_bug.cgi?id=13745

           Summary: [XQuery 3.0] "deterministic" and "nondeterministic"
           Product: XPath / XQuery / XSLT
           Version: Working drafts
          Platform: PC
        OS/Version: Windows NT
            Status: NEW
          Severity: normal
          Priority: P2
         Component: XQuery 3.0
        AssignedTo: jonathan.robie@gmail.com
        ReportedBy: mike@saxonica.com
         QAContact: public-qt-comments@w3.org


The XQuery specification often seems to use the phrase "nondeterministic" where
"implementation-dependent" would be more appropriate. For example:

2.4.3: "The effective boolean value of a sequence that contains at least one
node and at least one atomic value may be nondeterministic in regions of a
query where ordering mode is unordered."

3.2.1: "In a region of a query where ordering mode is unordered, the result of
a numeric predicate is nondeterministic, as explained in 3.10 Ordered and
Unordered Expressions."

I note also that "nondeterministic" is sometimes hyphenated, sometimes not; and
that we sometimes say "is nondeterministic", sometimes "may be
nondeterministic", with no apparent difference in intended meaning.

I suspect our intent is that wherever the result of an expression is
implementation-defined or implementation-dependent (i.e. varies from one
implementation to another) then it is also implementation-defined or -dependent
whether it is deterministic (i.e. varies from one execution to another).

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Received on Wednesday, 10 August 2011 09:57:21 UTC