EMILY(ID:3763/emi001)
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Hansen, W. J. EMILY User's Manual, Applied Math. Div., Argonne Nat'l Lab., Argonne, Ill., Dec 1970. view details
Hansen, Wilfred J. "User engineering principles for interactive systems" pp523-532 view details
in [AFIPS] Proceedings of the 1971 Fall Joint Computer Conference FJCC 39 view details
Marcus, R. S. Review of Hansen 1971 view details
Abstract: The author uses his experience with Emus, his editing system for writing programs in compiler languages, as the basis for outlining certain principles for interactive systems in general. A nice feature of EMILY is its use of the syntax of the compiler language to help the user prepare a legal program. The author extends this feature by allowing the user to select at each instant from a system-given menu of allowable choices at that point. This selection feature may simultaneously be the chief advantage and the most serious potential disadvantage of the system described. While selection permits instruction and avoids excess typing, it may impose learning of a new language (in this case EMILY) in addition to the compiler language of the program. Thus the selection principle, u hich is the first of the user engineering principles presented by the author, may be the most controversial. Its value will be determined only by user reactions to particular implementations which, apparently, have not yet been available for this editing system.
Other interactive principles presented in this paper are more obvious, although they may have more to do with the particular application of program w rising than with general interactive systems. In particular, whereas the author suggests that user errors need not be considered a serious problem if the error recovery procedures are reasonably good, others have found that errors in normal operation cause much grief to users unsophisticated in computer ways
in ACM Computing Reviews 13(03) March 1972 view details
Hoffmann, H-J "Programming by selection" view details
in Proceedings of the International Computing Symposium 1973, Davos view details
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