Posted by Ed Mullen on 02/02/07 03:44

dorayme wrote:
> In article <nOydnRWuT86VNl_YnZ2dnUVZ_q6vnZ2d@comcast.com>,
> Ed Mullen <ed@edmullen.net> wrote:
>
>> dorayme wrote:
>>> In article <HrCdnTZwR7eIA1_YnZ2dnUVZ_sGqnZ2d@comcast.com>,
>>> Ed Mullen <ed@edmullen.net> wrote:
>>>
>>>> dorayme wrote:
>
>>> Not quite understanding you re the presumptions?
>> Your presumptions make sense. I disagree with the standard that makes
>> the presumptions logical. Meaning, if it's called an "ordered list,"
>> sure, it's logical to presume that the order is important. And
>> vice-versa. I just think the idea of an unordered list is kinda silly.
>> I can't think of any meaningful communication (even a grocery store
>> list) that shouldn't be in some useful order. Doesn't need to be
>> numbered but the meat should be grouped together, the dairy, the frozen
>> food, the soft drinks, cleaning supplies, etc. Otherwise I'm either
>> constantly walking back and forth across the store or I'm constantly
>> stopping to read through the list to figure out: "Hmm. Do I need to go
>> up this aisle? And how many things do I need in this aisle?" And, yes,
>> I DO order my shopping list. ;-)
>>
>
> Well, what you are doing, if I may say, is concentrating on the
> cases that make it hard to know. This does not make the clear
> cases disappear. Simply imagine a clearer case, your wife gives
> you a list of things to get from the dairy section. Or a
> particular shelf even!

Are you saying that order, in this example, makes no difference?
Because, well, <sigh> I do all the shopping and I do actually order my
lists that way: In the dairy section it's: butter, milk, eggs.
Because that's the way the store's laid out. Meat products?
Lunch-meats, chicken, pork, beef. Oh, ok, when it comes to produce I
don't care because I like to browse. But a grocery list isn't really
communication the way a Web page or Powerpoint presentation is. But,
hey, at least I don't use bullets or numbers on my grocery list!

> But I agree that real life ordering is a complicated business.

Yep, messy business this life stuff.

--
Ed Mullen
http://edmullen.net
http://mozilla.edmullen.net
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