<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html charset=utf-8"></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space;" class="">Rob is right to point out the trans-gender and gender-neutral issue related to database questions about gender identity. I used this example with a news article to point out the problems with rushing to adopt a boolean field and when it is time to try something different. It works well enough for things like “Have they paid their bill”, “Are they a member” etc. I like the suggestion that the test is to ask a question that can support only two answers.<div class=""><div class=""><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">Regards Roland</div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><div apple-content-edited="true" class="">
<div style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;" class=""><div style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space;" class="">—</div><div style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><b class="">Roland GESTHUIZEN<br class=""></b><a href="http://about.me/rgesthuizen" class="">http://about.me/rgesthuizen</a><br class=""></div></div>
</div>
<br class=""><div><blockquote type="cite" class=""><div class="">On 7 Nov 2014, at 4:53 pm, Robert Hind <<a href="mailto:robert@yinnar.com" class="">robert@yinnar.com</a>> wrote:</div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"><div class="">
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<div class=""><font size="2" face="Arial" class="">Please no! Boolean is True/False. </font></div>
<div class=""><font size="2" face="Arial" class=""></font> </div>
<div class=""><font size="2" face="Arial" class="">Could use it for male/female if the effective
question was "are you male?"</font></div>
<div class=""><font size="2" face="Arial" class=""></font> </div>
<div class=""><font size="2" face="Arial" class="">But of course that rules out transgender people as
does the M/F dichotomy.</font></div>
<div class=""><font size="2" face="Arial" class=""></font> </div>
<div class=""><font size="2" face="Arial" class="">Please let us stick to "correct" usage of
Boolean. </font></div>
<div class=""><font size="2" face="Arial" class=""></font> </div>
<div class=""><font size="2" face="Arial" class="">Robert Hind<br class="">Retired<br class="">Ex Traralgon and
Ashwood</font></div>
<blockquote style="BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px" class="" type="cite">
<div style="FONT: 10pt arial" class="">----- Original Message ----- </div>
<div style="FONT: 10pt arial; BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; font-color: black" class=""><b class="">From:</b>
<a title="Christopher.Jansen@sjc.vic.edu.au" href="mailto:Christopher.Jansen@sjc.vic.edu.au" class="">Christopher Jansen</a>
<strong class="">.</strong></div>
<div style="FONT: 10pt arial" class=""><b class="">To:</b> <a title="itapps@edulists.com.au" href="mailto:itapps@edulists.com.au" class="">Year 12 IT Applications Teachers' Mailing
List</a> </div>
<div style="FONT: 10pt arial" class=""><b class="">Sent:</b> Friday, November 07, 2014 3:06
PM</div>
<div style="FONT: 10pt arial" class=""><b class="">Subject:</b> Re: [Year 12 IT Apps]
Boolean?</div>
<div class=""><br class=""></div>
<div class="WordSection1"><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-SIZE: 11pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-US" class="">I
think you can use boolean as a data type to describe any field with just two
options.. <o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-SIZE: 11pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-US" class="">I
would say you can use it for male / female... It would make the database more
efficient. <o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-SIZE: 11pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-US" class=""> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-SIZE: 11pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-US" class="">Thanks,
<o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-SIZE: 11pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-US" class="">Chris<o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-SIZE: 11pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-US" class=""> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><a name="_MailEndCompose" class=""><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-SIZE: 11pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-US" class=""> </span></a></div>
<div class="">
<div style="BORDER-BOTTOM: medium none; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0cm; PADDING-LEFT: 0cm; PADDING-RIGHT: 0cm; BORDER-TOP: #e1e1e1 1pt solid; BORDER-RIGHT: medium none; PADDING-TOP: 3pt" class=""><div class="MsoNormal"><b class=""><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; FONT-SIZE: 11pt" lang="EN-US" class="">From:</span></b><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; FONT-SIZE: 11pt" lang="EN-US" class=""> <a href="mailto:itapps-bounces@edulists.com.au" class="">itapps-bounces@edulists.com.au</a>
[<a href="mailto:itapps-bounces@edulists.com.au" class="">mailto:itapps-bounces@edulists.com.au</a>] <b class="">On Behalf Of </b>Simone
Tynan<br class=""><b class="">Sent:</b> Friday, 7 November 2014 2:25 PM<br class=""><b class="">To:</b> <a href="mailto:itapps@edulists.com.au" class="">itapps@edulists.com.au</a><br class=""><b class="">Subject:</b>
[Year 12 IT Apps] Boolean?<o:p class=""></o:p></span></div></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p class=""> </o:p></div>
<div class=""><div class="MsoNormal">Hi everyone.<o:p class=""></o:p></div></div>
<div class=""><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p class=""> </o:p></div></div>
<div class=""><div class="MsoNormal">Is it safe to talk yet??<o:p class=""></o:p></div></div><div class="MsoNormal">I have told my students that boolean data type is
‘true/false’. We discussed how M or F (male or female) is text, not
boolean. <o:p class=""></o:p></div>
<div class=""><div class="MsoNormal">The exam, question 5 has Travel-style or Business-style (T
or B) as boolean. Have I taught my students incorrectly?<o:p class=""></o:p></div></div>
<div class=""><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p class=""> </o:p></div></div>
<div class=""><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p class=""> </o:p></div>
<div class="">
<div class="">
<div class=""><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;" class="">With
thanks,<o:p class=""></o:p></span></div></div>
<div class=""><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;" class=""> </span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;" class=""> </span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span id="cid:AC3CFC79D80845A495D565A3128A9E4C@robertPC"><image001.png></span><o:p class=""></o:p></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p class=""> </o:p></div></div></div><div class="">
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