Re: [xsl] Re: Keeping a running total?

[David Carlisle <davidc@xxxxxxxxx>]

> it these
> benefits to any degree, but I can understand their benefit. However, I
> suspect that an option to make variables modifiable--at the expense of
> the points mentioned--would come under wide use, quickly. =)

Variables are just as modifiable in declarative languages as they are in
imperative languages. The difference is not whether or not they may be
modified, but what they hold. In declarative languages a variable is
bound to a _value_ such as "2", you can use it where  can use the value and
if you change it it's essentially a different variable, although it may
have the same name.  In imperative languages variables are not bound to
values, but rather to (conceptual) machine addresses, so x refers to a
particular storage location, and of course you can change the value
at that storage location without changing the binding of x (which
process may loosely be called modifying the variable, although, as you
see the variable hasn't changed at all, it's still bound to the same
storage location.


David