throopw@sheol.UUCP (Wayne Throop) (09/16/90)
> From: bruce@seismo.gps.caltech.edu (Bruce Worden) > I would think of `:=' as `equals', too, along with almost any > other symbol that did the same job. If you really want to emphasize the > assignment nature of expressions like `x = y;', then an equal sign has no > place in the symbol you use to do it. How about `let x take on the value of > y;'? No ambiguity there.) Well, there are three things I know of that equal-like symbols often do in programming languages: implicative (assert that an equality is so, so this fact can be used in reasoning, or in calculating values in either direction, examples of this usage in mathematics and prolog-like languages), inquisitive (test whether an equality is so or not), and imperitive (command that a reference take on a value). (Of course, things are more complicated than this, but this will suffice.) Just as a precaution against sloppy thinking, the mutterings I use to remember incantations of these three sorts are "foo IS bar" (while thinking implicative) "foo EQUALS bar" (while thinking inquisitive, ofen preceeded by "if") "foo GETS bar" (while thinking imperitive) When typing any particular language, I let my fingers remember that "gets" might be spelled "=" and "equals" ".EQ.". ( I am, by the way, open to suggestions for improving these incantation mnemonics. I'm no more married to them than I am to pronouncing "*" "splat", or "!" "bang" (although that's a different level of abstraction completely....). I'm especially unsatisfied with the "is". ) Just a thought. -- Wayne Throop <backbone>!mcnc!rti!sheol!throopw or sheol!throopw@rti.rti.org
johnb@srchtec.UUCP (John Baldwin) (09/19/90)
In article <0947@sheol.UUCP> throopw@sheol.UUCP (Wayne Throop) writes: |Just as a precaution against sloppy thinking, the mutterings I use |to remember incantations of these three sorts are | | "foo IS bar" (while thinking implicative) | "foo EQUALS bar" (while thinking inquisitive, | ofen preceeded by "if") | "foo GETS bar" (while thinking imperitive) [..excerpted..] |( I am, by the way, open to suggestions for improving these incantation | mnemonics. I don't think they need any improvement at all. They're short, easily comprehended, and have a one-to-one mapping with the abstract concepts. | ..... I'm especially unsatisfied with the "is". ) Oh, all right... how about "foo IMPLIES bar", or "foo IMPLIED-BY bar" or even "foo IDENTITY bar" ? -- John T. Baldwin | johnb%srchtec.uucp@mathcs.emory.edu Search Technology, Inc. | | "... I had an infinite loop, My opinions; not my employers'. | but it was only for a little while..."