quote:

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Are you saying that if a string doesn't exist in the other string, we should assign that a negative value as well?

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Well, not exactly, if Lonkero permits me to take the service ...

Of course if a string is simply not present in another string, no use to return another value than zero, as the documentation states.
But, the problem in our case is that we can't really prevent some people (and me, Oh God For One ! I was ) to hammering the null string is present in every string and HowEver not to be satisfied at all with a return value of 1 as it actually is.

The special case of the empty string :

It is PRESENT, but DIFFERENT FROM EACH (every ?) CHARACTER in the string ... Sure you Follow me ...

So :

Present => return value <> 0 (>0 accordin' to the doc.)
Diff. From Each Character => return value = 0

That's why a returned value < 0 wouldn't have been illogical to my mind.

But, although I initiated the topic in that way, I would now perfectly agree with the fact, that it wouldn't be very efficient and certainly would have a malicious effect in some existing code ...

'Hope to be boring ...