[CogitoCogito]

> Hands-on users of math notation are complaining that it sucks. I'm not sure why a dismissive "works for me" is so often the default response.

Are you sure this is because the notation is unclear/imprecise or because you just don't like it? I like certain programming languages and certain programming styles and really don't like others. But in none of the cases (those I like nor those I don't) are they not 100% "clear". The code compiles and executes after all so there really isn't much of an argument that somehow it's underspecified.

The same thing exists in mathematics. There are certain fields of math whose traditional notation/style/approach/etc. are totally incomprehensible to me. There are also many mathematicians who would say the same about my preferences as well.

So my point is that all people are _different_. Some people like certain things and some people like others. How can you hope to please everyone simultaneously? In my experience, there is no field at all that is as precise as mathematics. Sure "code" is precise, but (imo) professional programmers are nowhere near as precise in any general design or conversation than mathematicians. So I find the attack on supposedly bad mathematical notation a bit odd.

Mathematicians constantly try to come up with better methods of explaining things. They put more effort into it than basically any field in my experience. The problems are really that we as humans don't all think the same and that mathematics is just plain hard. We've improved mathematical communication immensely throughout history and we will continue to do so. But we'll never reach some sort of perfect communication style because no single such style could ever exist.