BTW, shouldn't your answer have been 14 and not 16 (I'm assuming base 10)? -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Greg Woodhouse Sent: Tuesday, August 16, 2005 4:15 PM To: hardhats-members@lists.sourceforge.net Subject: RE: [Hardhats-members] MUMPS features
There's a more basic issue, too. If your expression grammar is something like E ::= T | E + T | E - T T ::= N | N * T | N / T where N is a number, then [2 + [3 * 4]] is a valid parse, but [[2 + 3] * 4] is not (because '2 + 3' is not an N). Basically, you just take the CFG everyone knows by heart and toss it out. And why? To make the expression easier to parse? Well, maybe marginally so, but parsing an expression grammar is a virtual no-brainer. --- Greg Woodhouse <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > In every single language using infix notation (except MUMPS) that I'm > familiar with 2 + 3 * 4 = 16, and it is a longstanding convention in > mathematics that 2 + 3 * 4 is 2 + (3 * 4) not (2 + 3) * 4. > > It's not that I can't live with strict left to right evaluation, it's > just that it's annoying...really annoying. It's as if someone decided > that they would violate a well established convention just for > <insert > your favorite expletive> of it. > > --- Cameron Schlehuber <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > Greg, follow these instructions: > > > > First, add 3 to 2. > > Next, multiply your result times 4. > > What is your answer? > > > > -----Original Message----- > > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of > > Greg > > Woodhouse > > Sent: Tuesday, August 16, 2005 1:51 PM > > To: hardhats-members@lists.sourceforge.net > > Subject: Re: [Hardhats-members] MUMPS features > > > > Hmm...I hesitate to do this, for fear of forgetting something, but > my > > MUMPS "greatest hits" list, includes at least > > > > 1. Global arrays > > 2. Hierarchical arrays in general, and especially the ability to > > store > > values at non-leaf nodes. > > 3. An integrated JOB command and the $J special variable > > 4. Patterns > > 5. The MERGE command > > 6. Built in string handling functions > > 7. Incremental locks (but see below) > > 8. Indirection and the XECUTE command (again with some caveats) > > 9. Simplicity > > > > By contrast, my "biggest gripes" list includes > > > > 1. Default global scope for variables > > 2. No static scoping > > 3. No interprocess communication or asynchronous signaling > > 4. Weak support for I/O > > 5. I'm sorry, but 2 + 3 * 4 is NOT 20 > > 6. Unintuitive (and not clearly useful) semantics for reference > > parameters > > 7. Incremental locks don't block (like semaphores) > > 8. No distinction between read and write locks > > 9. No support for namespaces or packages > > 10. No flexibility with regard to character sets > > > > > > --- Chris Richardson <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > > > I don't have much easy association with baseball, but; > > > > > > 1) the polymorphic Data Representation (for SET X="12 Cats"); > > > A) a string, WRITE X > > > B) an expression, WRITE X+"15 Dogs" > > > C) a Truth Value, IF X WRITE "True" > > > D) has properties, WRITE > > > %DATA(X)_":"_$LENGTH(X)_":"_$LENGTH(X," ") > > > (and a lot more) > > > E) has substrings, WRITE $PIECE(X," ",2) > > > F) extensible, SET X=X_" and kittens" > > > G) malible, FOR I=$LENGTH(X):-1:1 WRITE $EXTRACT(X,I) > > > H thru ZZZ) Lots more > > > 2) data clustering, for the data created by FOR I=1:1:10 SET > > > X($R(100))=I > > > A) Evaluated, WRITE $DATA(X) > > > B) Walked, SET Y="" FOR S J=$ORDER(X($G(J)) QUIT:J="" > WRITE > > > X(J)_":"_J,! > > > C) Copied, MERGE Z=X > > > D) Trimmed, SET J=$ORDER(X("")) KILL:J X(J) > > > E) Killed, KILL X > > > > > > More later. > > > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > > > From: "Gregory Woodhouse" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > > To: <hardhats-members@lists.sourceforge.net> > > > Sent: Tuesday, August 16, 2005 7:09 AM > > > Subject: [Hardhats-members] MUMPS features > > > > > > > > > > I've been thinking about the use of strings as a uniform data > > > > representation in MUMPS and, to draw an analogy with baseball, > it > > > is > > > > easy to come up with a hit (such as the ability to use the same > > > > idioms, e.g., $G(X)="" for different kinds of data), or a > double > > > > (such as being able to intermix numbers and strings as > subscripts > > > to > > > > the same array), but I can't think of a real home run. > Thoughts? > > > > > > > > === > > > > Gregory Woodhouse > > > > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > > > > > > "Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, > > but > > > > when there is nothing left to take away." > > > > -- Antoine de Saint-Exupery > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > ------------------------------------------------------- > > > > SF.Net email is Sponsored by the Better Software Conference & > > EXPO > > > > September 19-22, 2005 * San Francisco, CA * Development > Lifecycle > > > Practices > > > > Agile & Plan-Driven Development * Managing Projects & Teams * > > > Testing & QA > > > > Security * Process Improvement & Measurement * > > > http://www.sqe.com/bsce5sf > > > > _______________________________________________ > > > > Hardhats-members mailing list > > > > Hardhats-members@lists.sourceforge.net > > > > https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/hardhats-members > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > ------------------------------------------------------- > > > SF.Net email is Sponsored by the Better Software Conference & > EXPO > > > September 19-22, 2005 * San Francisco, CA * Development Lifecycle > > > Practices > > > Agile & Plan-Driven Development * Managing Projects & Teams * > > Testing > > > & QA > > > Security * Process Improvement & Measurement * > > > http://www.sqe.com/bsce5sf > > > _______________________________________________ > > > Hardhats-members mailing list > > > Hardhats-members@lists.sourceforge.net > > > https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/hardhats-members > > > > > > > > > > > === > > Gregory Woodhouse <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > > > "Design quality doesn't ensure success, but design failure can > ensure > > failure." > > > > --Kent Beck > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > ------------------------------------------------------- > > SF.Net email is Sponsored by the Better Software Conference & EXPO > > September 19-22, 2005 * San Francisco, CA * Development Lifecycle > > Practices > > Agile & Plan-Driven Development * Managing Projects & Teams * > Testing > > & QA > > Security * Process Improvement & Measurement * > > http://www.sqe.com/bsce5sf > > _______________________________________________ > > Hardhats-members mailing list > > Hardhats-members@lists.sourceforge.net > > https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/hardhats-members > > > > > > > > ------------------------------------------------------- > > SF.Net email is Sponsored by the Better Software Conference & EXPO > > September 19-22, 2005 * San Francisco, CA * Development Lifecycle > > Practices > > Agile & Plan-Driven Development * Managing Projects & Teams * > Testing > > & QA > > Security * Process Improvement & Measurement * > > http://www.sqe.com/bsce5sf > > _______________________________________________ > > Hardhats-members mailing list > > Hardhats-members@lists.sourceforge.net > > https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/hardhats-members > > > > > > === > Gregory Woodhouse <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > "Design quality doesn't ensure success, but design failure can ensure > failure." > > --Kent Beck > > > > > > > > > ------------------------------------------------------- > SF.Net email is Sponsored by the Better Software Conference & EXPO > September 19-22, 2005 * San Francisco, CA * Development Lifecycle > Practices > Agile & Plan-Driven Development * Managing Projects & Teams * Testing > & QA > Security * Process Improvement & Measurement * > http://www.sqe.com/bsce5sf > _______________________________________________ > Hardhats-members mailing list > Hardhats-members@lists.sourceforge.net > https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/hardhats-members > === Gregory Woodhouse <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> "Design quality doesn't ensure success, but design failure can ensure failure." --Kent Beck ------------------------------------------------------- SF.Net email is Sponsored by the Better Software Conference & EXPO September 19-22, 2005 * San Francisco, CA * Development Lifecycle Practices Agile & Plan-Driven Development * Managing Projects & Teams * Testing & QA Security * Process Improvement & Measurement * http://www.sqe.com/bsce5sf _______________________________________________ Hardhats-members mailing list Hardhats-members@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/hardhats-members ------------------------------------------------------- SF.Net email is Sponsored by the Better Software Conference & EXPO September 19-22, 2005 * San Francisco, CA * Development Lifecycle Practices Agile & Plan-Driven Development * Managing Projects & Teams * Testing & QA Security * Process Improvement & Measurement * http://www.sqe.com/bsce5sf _______________________________________________ Hardhats-members mailing list Hardhats-members@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/hardhats-members
