I like MATLAB syntax best. 1:5 builds a range. 1: should build the infinite range, but MATLAB is crippled and only lets you do x(1:end). In Lisp syntax, (x 1:) would be item 1, 2, etc of x, (x lo:hi) would be lo, ..., hi-1. I'd also find this convenient because I often need to loop from 0 to infinity and 1 to infinity. Although Python's syntax of using negative numbers to index from the end of the list is far more convenient than 'end' in MATLAB, and it goes without saying that MATLAB's 1-based indexing is Satanic.
Using lots of syntax (e.g. Python's range(a, b)) for range construction is completely unacceptable, and using different syntax to index into an array and construct a range is annoying, due to violating fairly basic notions of beauty in mathematics (Equal things can be replaced by each other; Use one abstract syntax to cover lots of ideas, instead of lots of syntax to cover few ideas). Also, if one leaves out sane floating-point range construction methods, then they get added over and over again in 3rd party libraries (e.g. numpy.arange in Python).
Nice work, pg. One should also note that languages not built around making web apps will suffer due to the combinatorial explosion of web app libraries implementing what should be in the language layer. For example, Python.
Why would I want to partake in a system that doesn't let me do what I want? Down that path lies Java, corporations, government, masses of idiotic consumers, debt, busywork, social pressures to be fat, stupid, and drink until both of these occur, character sets, funding the so-called "poor" in America so that they can shoot each other and do more drugs, funding the police to shoot the poor when they do drugs, social badges, displays of wealth, and a lifetime of wage slavery to help further enstupify an already mindless culture made thus by money and gadget fetishization. Oh wait, we've already followed that path. Oh, brilliant.
