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Path: utzoo!linus!philabs!seismo!rlgvax!cvl!umcp-cs!koved
From: koved@umcp-cs.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.cog-eng
Subject: Re: expert-friendly: are long names a waste of time?
Message-ID: <4251@umcp-cs.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 5-Dec-83 20:58:41 EST
Article-I.D.: umcp-cs.4251
Posted: Mon Dec  5 20:58:41 1983
Date-Received: Wed, 7-Dec-83 00:37:40 EST
References: <2387@azure.UUCP>
Organization: Univ. of Maryland, Computer Science Dept.
Lines: 15


I will agree that if you want to become an expert on a system, then you
will probably prefer the short version.  It should be available, and I
support that 100%.  There must be a way for the novice or casual user
to also use the system and gradually become an expert of they so desire.
That is a problem of how to recognize the command and its operands
through synonyms and abbreviations.  If you think about it, the commands
which are currently used are abbreviations of english words.  Let
the computer figure out your intent.  You can use the very short form
if you are an expert, or a longer form if you are a casual user, or the
long form if you are a novice.  If you can't type, maybe there should be
menus to guide you through the system.  That would be much faster than
trying to type.

Larry