[innguest]

I'm not even talking about it at that level, because I don't fully understand it. :)

The reason I said that is because I visualize it like this:

  enum maybeValue { NOTHING, JUST };
  typedef enum maybeValue MaybeValue;
  
  struct maybeInt { MaybeValue maybe_value; int integer };
  typedef struct maybeInt MaybeInt;
  
  MaybeInt just (int x) { ...; m.maybe_value = JUST; m.integer = x; return m; }
  MaybeInt nothing (void) { ...; m.maybe_value = NOTHING; return m; }
  
  MaybeInt chevron (maybeInt a, maybeInt b)
  {
    if (a.maybe_value == JUST)
      if (b.maybe_value == JUST)
        just(a.integer + b.integer);
      else
        nothing();
    else
      nothing();
  }
  
  /* Just 5 >> Nothing >> Just 6 */
  chevron(chevron(just(5), nothing()), just(6));

Which is why I said that (>>) ("chevron" above) combines two functions, just() and nothing().

[innguest]

I was a bit sleepy when I wrote the comment above. Please consider the following function as an example of what I'm talking about, instead of the confused "chevron" function above. This is make-believe C:

  MaybeInt bind (MaybeInt a, (function : int -> MaybeInt a) f)
  {
    if (a.maybe_value == JUST)
      f(a.integer);
    else
      nothing();
  }

  MaybeInt chevron (MaybeInt a, MaybeInt b)
  {
    bind(a, lambda(x){ b });
  }

/* Just 5 >>= (\x -> Just $ x + 1) */ bind( just(5), lambda(x){ just(x+1); } );