[bdfh42]

Short answer no - programming would be just a little bit more difficult. Calculating an index can often be simplified if zero is not just a valid value but the first element in an array or character in a string or what have you.

I base this on the active experience of having worked (over the years) with 1 based index languages and (even) languages (VB Classic) where you could set the lower as well as upper bounds of an array. Zero based arrays (and such) are generally just that bit easier to work with.