Polish Computing Technique Applied to Text

There is a technique used in computer programming and mathematics called "Polish Notation" which basically involves putting everything in backwards to the way one might normally think, but which happens to work very well for machines and certain kinds of logic. Normally I like to glom onto Polish things because I am at least partly Polish. But this is one idea I have never adopted.

I just figured out this is one of the things I don't like about modern computer GUI's (Graphical User Interface). Anytime you want to operate on text, you have to select the text first, then you select the operation you want to use. This goes against my grain and I have always hated it. For example, working with pen and paper, if I want to highlight some text, I pick up the highlighter and apply it to the text. I don't run my finger over the text and then go pick up the highlighter. Now mentally I have marked the text in my mind, but I can do that on a computer screen as well.

So the "Select Text First" model works well if you want to apply several different things to one piece of text, or if you are experimenting with different effects. But this same thing could be achieved by leaving the last section that was operated on as the current selection until a new section was selected.

The "Select Tool First" would be a more natural model and would be greatly preferred. Using the highlighter for example again. Once I pick up a highlighter, I don't highlight just one phrase, I will continue highlighting until I have no more use for that tool, then I will put it down and pick up another one.