> so the only "correct" interpretation is ( 1 && 0 ) || 1 || ( 0 && 0 )
An excellent use of the quotes, Michel. Precedence is not an axiom but
a mathematical convention, introduced to solve conflicts caused by
infix notation's grammar.
What I wanted to show is:
- infix notation has an ambiguous grammar,
- said grammar is not necessary nor well suited for a GUI,
- its interpretation can be unexpected by users (unless they have a CS
degree)
- conflicts caused by infix grammar can be avoided using prefix or
postfix grammar.
Using prefix or postfix grammar in the interface makes everyone's life
easier. User's don't need a CS degree to predict the outcome of an
expression. Developers don't need to work on precedence rules in order
to process the user's input. CS students will digress abut RPN ;-)
Regarding interaction design, this case is akin to the difference
between Verb-Subject grammar used in CLIs ( rm * ) and Subject-Verb
grammar used in GUIs ( select all, delete ).
--
Santiago Bustelo // icograma
Buenos Aires, Argentina
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