I debated this with my boss at my first programming job (this was 20+ years ago). He thought 1/0 should be 0 rather than an error because "that's what people expect". My argument was from mathematical definitions (the argument which this blog post picks apart).
In retrospect, I see his point better - practical use trumps theory in most language design decisions.
I haven't changed my mind but the reason has shifted more toward because "it's what a larger set of people expect in more situations" rather than mathematical purity.
In retrospect, I see his point better - practical use trumps theory in most language design decisions.
I haven't changed my mind but the reason has shifted more toward because "it's what a larger set of people expect in more situations" rather than mathematical purity.