Having asked the question, and heard many replies let me summarise...

On Fri, 6 May 2005, John Carter wrote:

> Imagine a flock of ducks in the sky. Listen.
> Now remove the ducks. Listen.
>
> What is the sound of no duck quacking?
>
> What should nil respond_to?

Well, it turned out that there are several sorts of unduck making several
different unsounds.

There is the uninitialized unduck, which, when you ask it to quack
says, "You Nana! It was _your_ job to put a duck here and you DID NOT,
and now you asking it to Quack! Twit!"

Then there is the not applicable duck, which when you ask it to quack
says, "Sorry, it is just not appropriate nor ever will be appropriate
to have a duck in _this_ particular instance. Don't even try put a duck
in here, let alone ask it to quack."

Then there is the no duck, which when asked to quack (or anything else
for that matter) does nothing, and after having done nothing, leaves
you with nothing. Which was the only sort of nil I had in my rather
limited mind when I asked the question.



John Carter                             Phone : (64)(3) 358 6639
Tait Electronics                        Fax   : (64)(3) 359 4632
PO Box 1645 Christchurch                Email : john.carter / tait.co.nz
New Zealand

We all live but seconds away from pain and death, yet we live as
though it wasn't even possible.

We are but one person amongst 6 billion, yet we live as though we,
personally, matter.

So, as you were saying... how real did you want me to get?