I believe it comes from math theory. Sets, grammars, languages, strings, etc.
Jeff Ober
2010-02-06 03:34:01
+2
A:
darn, you beat me to it
Matt S.
2010-02-06 03:34:44
@Jeff Ober: first time I've heard that....
Mitch Wheat
2010-02-06 03:35:00
Any references? Do grammars predate Algol60? I studied Pure Math and I don't remember things called strings (unless they were Computer Sciency math classes, and then they were used).
Paul Tarjan
2010-02-06 04:45:24
which line in that explains the history of the word? I couldn't find it...
Paul Tarjan
2010-02-06 04:44:00
First sentence: "In mathematics, a string is a sequence of symbols that are chosen from a set or alphabet."
Thilo
2010-02-06 05:23:40
guess i should read the first line. But I still don't know about that statement. I was a Pure Math major and never used the word String, even in Set theory. Searching http://www.google.com/search?q=set+theory+string doesn't yield much... but the namespace is quite polluted...
Paul Tarjan
2010-02-06 05:44:02
Paul's point is further proven by the fact that wikipedia does not not have a page related to the meaning of string in mathematics.
Agos
2010-02-06 10:47:14
Why not "Text" or 'Chars"? They are always arrays, and not linked lists...
Paul Tarjan
2010-02-06 04:57:42
+1
A:
I guess it comes from math... In math, a string is a sequence of symbols, which nicely explains the essence of a string in programming-languages too.
Frederik Wordenskjold
2010-02-06 03:37:33
+1
A:
A string is a string of characters. It is a common use of the word, and it dates all the way back to 1488.
string (n.)
O.E. streng "line, cord, thread," from P.Gmc. *strangiz (cf. O.N. strengr, Dan. streng, M.Du. strenge, Du. streng, O.H.G. strang, Ger. Strang "rope, cord"), from base *strang- "taut, stiff," from PIE base *strenk- "tight, narrow; pull tight, twist" (see strain). Gradually restricted by early M.E. to lines that are smaller than a rope. Sense of "a number of objects arranged in a line" first recorded 1488. [...]
Don Reba
2010-02-06 10:05:42
IMO the definition you cite doesn't truly answer the question. What does a piece of thin, elongated fabric have to do with a sequence of symbols? However, it could provide an insight into why the developers at SGI chose to provide a `rope` replacement class for `std::string` with their version of the C++ Standard Template Library.
stakx
2010-02-06 10:21:26
(On reading the definition a second and a third time and finally spotting the last sentence :), I guess I need to take back the first statement in my above comment. Sorry for that!)
stakx
2010-02-06 10:30:55