On Fri, 5 Mar 2004, Malcolm J. Currie wrote:
> Yes the full scope of the parameter system can be daunting if you only
> programme occasionally, and a simple interface is better if that's all
> we ever did. For the beginner, wWe did offer overview programming
> documentation like SUN/101 and SC/12, and there is a user tutorial in
> SUN/95. Keywords ACCEPT, PROMPT, and RESET came from Figaro, and were
> added by *user demand*. Some users do read the documentation! Novice
> astronomer-programmers don't have to use the full power of the system.
In the particular case of parameter values which default to a
previously-used value however they can find it biting them in the
leg without knowing that it's going to do so. Personally I pepper my
scripts with RESETs and ADAM_USER clearouts to the level of paranoia,
but yer novice doesn't always know to do so (some users don't read
the documentation!). I'd be happier with that particular bit of
design if RESET was something you opted out of rather than opted into.
I am not, however, disagreeing with the main thrust of your argument.
(Not that I'm necessarily agreeing either - as I say being a condensed
matter dilettante I'm happy for the proper astronomers among you to
decide what's best on this.)
Mark
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Mark Taylor Starlink Programmer Physics, Bristol University, UK
[log in to unmask] +44-117-928-8776 http://www.star.bris.ac.uk/~mbt/
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