Numeric for loops...

[duck <duck@...>]

The numeric 'for' loop is so simple, so quick, so easy to explain, so 
commonplace in programming (and so commonly provided in programming 
languages), and so jolly useful that I would like to suggest that we all 
agree to stop calling for its removal :-)

Lua has comparatively little redundancy compared to other languages. The 
sheer convenience and compactness of being able to write the short and 
sweet:

  for i = 1,#list do
     ...
  end

surely justifies keeping the construct for ever?

We might as well argue to have only one sort of loop (no while, no repeat 
-- express them all with iterators, and to hell with readability), or to 
get rid of the '-' and '/' operators in favour of recondite stuff like:

  difference = amountdue + math.negative(amountpaid)

and:

  threequarters = 3 * math.reciprocal(4)



PS: I feel less strongly about ipairs() than about for i=1,n, but would 
like to see ipairs() reprieved officially -- not even deprecated :-)