22 Jun
2011
22 Jun
'11
11:21 a.m.
On 22 Jun 2011 at 10:55, Rich Alderson wrote:
"post" = "after". Lisp is
*pre*fixed, i. e., it uses the original
Polish notation, rather than the reverse Polish notation foisted on us
by a calculator manufacturer.[1]
Strictly speaking, it's not pure "reverse Polish" notation. Consider
that infix 3-2 in (forward) Polish notation is - 3 2. If we were
dealing with strictly reversed Polish, both the operators and
operands would be reversed, and thus 2 3 -. But only the operators
are reversed in what we call "Reverse Polish"; thus 3 2 -.
It's one thing that's always bugged me a bit.
--Chuck