Re:Abusing the algebra of algebraic data types – why does th...
by chrsig on Monday October 10, 2022 @12:43PM
(#33153570)
> You want to optimize for comprehension by readers rather than convenience for writers.
Given the exorbitant cost of education (in the US), I think this is a reasonable desire or expectation for a student to have.
Re:Abusing the algebra of algebraic data types – why does th...
by Asraelite on Monday October 10, 2022 @01:58PM
(#33154467)
It's really annoying when you do the maths equivalent of Stack Overflow copy-pasting.
Often I'll see some maths equation in a paper or blog post or whatever that I want to use in software, but I don't understand the notation and so I can't use it without spending god knows how long learning all the context first.
Mathematics, though, is a language developed by academics for academics, who will spend a long time iterating through variations on the same pattern. When you're years into your post-grad, looking at the same tiny slice of mathematics over and over again, it's obvious what f^(n) means - you've probably written that and thought about it thousands of times - but yeah, it does suck for outsiders.