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From: icsu8209@caesar.cs.montana.edu (Glassy)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.misc
Subject: ??-Fix Notation (was re: does anybody want to design ..)
Message-ID: <3442@caesar.cs.montana.edu>
Date: 26 Feb 90 19:04:07 GMT
Sender: news@caesar.cs.montana.edu
Reply-To: icsu8209@caesar.cs.montana.edu (Glassy)
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Organization: Montana State University, Dept. of Computer Science, Bozeman MT 59717
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There are precedents in mathematics for both prefix -and- postfix styles
of function notation.  Abstract algebraists are wont to write 'x f' for
the mapping prefix people denote as f(x).

On the equivalence of pre- and post-fix:  I haven't seen the proof(s)
involved, but since one can (practically speaking) compute things
using -any- consistent notation(pre,post,in), I'm not sure religious
arguments on the superiority of one notation over another, will
win many converts.

Anyway, equating 'mathematics'=='prefix'=='holy' seems questionable.
'Mathematics' does it in a variety of ways...  if ya wanna come out
shooting, please make sure your gun is loaded... :-)

lou glassy
icsu8209@caesar.cs.montana.edu
;;(std-disclaimers blah-blah-blah)