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by laurencerowe 2146 days ago
> It's kind of sad that "for" is the keyword programming languages settled on for the loop construct.

Many languages only use `for` to mean a for-each style loop where it reads quite naturally:

Python - `for n in range(1,10)`

Ruby - `for i in 0..10`

Rust - `for n in 1..10` (also picked up the bare `loop`)

Others support for-each style loops along with the less than ideal C-style for loop:

JavaScript - `for (n of [1,2,3])` (second attempt, for-in has too many gotchas.)

Java - `for (int n : {1,2,3})`

Otherwise I agree that `while` reads far more naturally. I guess they must have wanted to minimize the number keywords in Go.

2 comments

Interestingly, the more common way to write that in Ruby would be `(1..10).each { |i| ... }`, or (in the case of needing a multi-line block):

``` (1..10).each do |i| ... end ```

"do" does end up getting used, but only as syntax for a "block" (similar to what other languages would call a lambda).

Ruby also has a shorthand for when you want to do something `n` times without caring about the iteration number:

``` 10.times do ... end ```

One final note is that loop you wrote above is actually different in Ruby than it is for Python and Rust; `x..y` is an inclusive range in Ruby, whereas `range(x, y)` in Python and `x..y` in Rust are exclusive on the right side. I think you might have realized that since you used different starting values for the other two, but you got it backwards; the Python and Rust loops will loop only nine times, whereas the Ruby one will loop 11 times. Ruby does have a syntax for exclusive ranges though; `x...y` is an inclusive range from `x` to `y - 1`. Similarly, in Rust, `x..=y` gives an inclusive range from `x` to `y`. I don't know of any way to do an inclusive range in Python other than manually, but someone with more Python knowledge might be able to provide something for that.

You can kinda use `do` for looping with a Block and Kernel#loop :v https://ruby-doc.org/core-2.7.1/Kernel.html#method-i-loop
It's been years since I last wrote Ruby so had completely forgotten that it's ranges were inclusive by default.
It's only natural if you already know that a for-statement is a loop.

"while" is no better without the "do".

And if statements need a corresponding "then" to make sense as well right?

Your whole argument is nonsensical. Coding isn't English

Write a new language and you can name everything exactly how you please, if enough people care then they will adopt the language.