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Date: Thu, 8 Mar 2007 17:14:37 -0500
From: "Ian Zimmerman" <nobrowser@gmail.com>
To: Tom <tom.primozic@gmail.com>
Subject: Re: [Caml-list] Operator overloading
Cc: "Robert Fischer" <RFischer@roomandboard.com>,
	caml-list@yquem.inria.fr
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On 3/8/07, Tom <tom.primozic@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>
> On 08/03/07, Robert Fischer <RFischer@roomandboard.com> wrote:
> >
> > When I see "+", I want to know what that means.
> >
>
> I disagree and I couldn't disagree more. In mathematics, we're perfectly ?!?
> using + for integer, float, complex, vector and matrix addition (and the
> combinations of them) and * for integer, float, complex, vector, vector and
> scalar, and matrix multiplication. One who doesn't understand what the
> "code" - mathematical notation - means should blame oneself for not
> understanding the algorithm, not the "designer" for making the "language" -
> mathematical conventions - unappropriate.
>

I agree with Robert and the analogy with maths notation only reinforces that:
when I was a student of maths, I frequently cursed the authors of
papers I was reading for using notation without definition.  Of
course, it was perfectly clear to someone seasoned in the area of the
paper, because the notation was conventional - but a puzzle for a
newbie.