Rant after trying Rust a bit

[Timon Gehr via Digitalmars-d]

On 08/05/2015 07:12 PM, Max Samukha wrote:
> On Wednesday, 5 August 2015 at 15:58:28 UTC, Timon Gehr wrote:
>
>>> The point is that '+' for string concatenation is no more of an 'idiot
>>> thing' than '~'.
>>
>> My point is that it is. String concatenation is not commutative.
>
> Ok, good point. Except that '+' in a programming language is not the
> mathematical '+'.

It's obvious where the notation has been borrowed from.

> Why define '+' as strictly commutative operation and
> not more generally as an abstract binary operation,

Descriptive names do have some value.

> considering the middle dot is unavailable?

(It isn't.)

> Or, if we want to stick to the math notation,
> then '*' would be more appropriate than the idiot thing '~'.

That's a different discussion. '*' is certainly more appropriate than 
'+'. Anyway, I think it is sensible to use distinct names for distinct 
operations when they are used in the same system.