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Steve Richter wrote:
First, disregarding such pedantries that there's really no such thing as
a never ending loop,


2nd time you have said that.  how do you know that the system a program is
running on will ever stop functioning?   Maybe IBM service will always be on
site on time to hot swap any failing part, maybe the UPS and backup
generator will always be available to maintain power in the advent of
utility power loss, maybe the program runs on a redundant internet cluster
and continues to run if a node goes off line. Maybe IBM becomes innovative
again and enhances os400 to save a programs state in the event of system
failure so that when the system restarts, the looping program resumes its
processing where it was at the time of failure.  Maybe when the sun burns
out the job state will be transfered to another planet on another solar
system.  Maybe God just happens to be the system operator ...

you cant say for certainty that the loop will eventually stop!


If you had a program that never ends, you could establish that fact by waiting until the program terminates. Then, and only then, do you know that you have a never ending program. ;-)


While waiting for the program to end, you could spend your time doing some research on the "halting problem". ;-)

Cheers! Hans



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