I don&#x27;t know if it&#x27;d be clearer. It&#x27;d be a better representation of what actually happens but would read very strangely. `!= -1` would make a reader think &quot;shouldn&#x27;t go below 0&quot; and only on closer inspection would you wonder what actually happens, `!= SIZE_MAX` would probably make any reader stop and scratch their head.<p>Whether that&#x27;s a good thing is up for debate.