[Python-ideas] Infix functions

[Greg Ewing]

Andrew Barnert wrote:
>     a `cross` b + c `cross` (d `dot` e)
> 
> vs.
> 
>     add(cross(a, b), cross(c, dot(d, e))
> 
> Sure, it's only one character shorter (or four characters using @cross
> instead  of `cross`), but you can't tell me it's not more readable.

It's *slightly* better, *maybe*, but it still looks
like a mess to my eyes, compared to

    a % b + c % (d * e)

There are several reasons for this version being more
readable:

* It's far more compact
* It's not cluttered up with backticks
* It leverages my existing intuition about the relative
   precedences of the operators involved

Precedence is a big problem. You're assuming that backtick
operators would have precedence higher than '+'. What if
I want to define my own addition-like operator? One
precedence isn't going to fit all.

-- 
Greg