[Gretl-users] Re: Sign function in gretl

I believe this is because the IF function in spreadsheets (and the IF command in gretl also) is very straightforwardly conceptually linked to the verbal description of how one would dictate the action "If this happens do that, else do that" Conditional assignment on the other hand uses a symbol that makes it looks like it translates a different verbal description: s = x==0 ? 0 : (x>0 ? 1 : -1) Here the "IF" notion is replaced by a question mark so we imply a question "is x equal to zero ?". Then we write directly 0... but in this way, we have skipped any visual clue that the "0" after the ? is the action IF the answer to the question is "yes". So people get frozen. "Ok I see "x==0 ?" and I understand "Is x equal to zero?", fine. Is it? Is it not?" ... It is the question mark that creates all the confusion I think, because it is one step prior to consider the answer (the "IF") on which the possible actions will depend. It appears to link a question to possible actions without providing the possible answers in between that determine which actions to execute. Alecos Papadopoulos PhD Athens University of Economics and Business web: alecospapadopoulos.wordpress.com/ skype:alecos.papadopoulos On 24/4/2020 20:43, Riccardo (Jack) Lucchetti wrote: > I find it extremely difficult to come to terms with the fact that many > people consider conditional assignmment an obscure geeky thing, and > then happily use the IF() function in spreadsheets with no apparent > effort.