BODMAS, or BOMDAS is from school. The "of" is to remind people that it's another word for "multiplied by". Simple and lacking expo, I know, but JJ's example didn't have that.
I later formulated something like NEPOMASTiC for my Excel students Can't remember what all for now :-)

Negation - Exponentiation - Parenth - Of ...

I'll have to check it out in my course notes.
One thing: I agree that divide should be after multiply, to reduce decimal rounding errors on big calculations.

>I was taught the order of solving is BEMDAS - Brackets - Exponents - Multiply - Divide - Add - Subtract
>
>>The rule of evaluation of equations is BODMAS:
>>
>> Brackets - Of - Divide - Multiply - Add - Subtract
>>
>>So 12
>>
>>>

>>>-24/4(-2)
>>>

>>>Is it:
>>>

>>>-6(-2) = 12
>>>

>>>Or is it:
>>>

>>>-24/-8 = 3
>>>