Interface semantics: a linguistic approach

Describes work in progress on the use of different kinds of language extensions to increase the expressiveness of interaction with computer systems. The presentation is informal and the notion of expressiveness is left deliberately vague. Usually when designers consider increasing the expressiveness of an interface they think of adding new commands. This usually has the disadvantage of requiring more learning to achieve proficiency with the system. The author however considers adding constructions to the interaction which the user has already experienced in natural language. He briefly considers propositional and quantificational extensions which result in the inclusion of `database´ facilities. He then considers the addition of modal operators to the language of interaction in some detail. Modal operators are used to provide information to the system on how the user hopes the interaction will proceed. The ideas are illustrated by an example of a simple viewdata editor. Finally some further work is outlined