Oh, *dependency*. Yes, that makes sense. And also, I don't know that compilers *aren't* allowed to evaluate operands in whatever order they want; maybe A && B doesn't get evaluated in that order. (I guess one could find out by using expressions that have side effects, but... *shudder*.) I think you're right that "dependent" is a better description than "sequential", at least based on the vast understanding (cough) I've gained from reading this. :-)