Subject: Re: set.lisp redefines POWERSET / {} for sets
From: Martin RUBEY
Date: Thu, 6 Mar 2003 14:34:49 +0100 (CET)
On Wed, 5 Mar 2003, Richard Fateman wrote:
> Overloading notation is very tricky. I don't agree
> that you should use up all the operators for the
> most elementary common use. Mathematica does this
> (though not necessarily the most common usage). One
> way out of this is to allow unicode or another nearly
> unbounded set of operators, but that has its own problems
> too.
> RJF
I think that you are partly right. However, I believe that we should
distinguish between two things: Notation in an interactive session and
notation in a (maxima language) program: I suggested that
(see http://www.ma.utexas.edu/pipermail/maxima/2003/003954.html)
1. operators in the interactive session should *default* to there most
common usage (and it should be easy to change that, it is in maxima I
believe)
2. a program written in the maxima language should *not* make use of
these operators. If it does, it is not "shareable".
Martin