title: Why is nil > 0 true in Erlang?
body: <p>Erlang is the first language I come across to give true for nil > 0.</p>
  
  <p>What is the story behind this decision?</p>
  
  <p>Other languages seem to behave differently.</p>
  
  <p>Python:</p>
  
  <pre><code>None &gt; 0
  # False
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>JavaScript:</p>
  
  <pre><code>null &gt; 0
  // false
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>Ruby:</p>
  
  <pre><code>nil &gt; 0
  NoMethodError: undefined method `&gt;' for nil:NilClass
  </code></pre>