Re: and then... (a curiosity)

[Georg Bauhaus <rm.dash-bauhaus@futureapps.de>]

stefan-lucks@see-the.signature schrieb:

> IMHO, much better style is the following:
> 
>   declare
>     Tmp_A: Boolean := A(X);
>     Tmp_B: Boolean := B(X);
>   begin
>     if Tmp_A and Tmp_B then ... end if;
>   end;
> 
> This makes the programmers intention clear, "if A(X) and B(X)" doesn't. 
> 

> 
> But do you really dispute that following the mathematical conventions 
> as much as possible would improve readability? 

I agree with all of the above. However, after having seen much suffering
from what people think are mathematical conventions used in programs,
I think mathematical conventions should be verboten.

Mathematical conventions are, unfortunately, *much* too vague
to be good guidance. Most of the time they don't apply
in computer programs. On the contrary, digital computers started
their lives for exactly this reason: mathematics had
no formalized steps and finite sets of numbers were uncommon.

Mathematical assumptions make us think that Integer is an integer,
which it isn't!  As you have explained, there is no _|_ in the
set of mathematical integers.

A mathematics for computer programs would be different.
Not like "high school operators" between "high school numbers".


--
Georg Bauhaus
Y A Time Drain  http://www.9toX.de