Re: [Maxima-discuss] index properties and define/funmake

[Robert D. <rob...@gm...>]

On Thu, Jan 8, 2026 at 3:18 PM Stavros Macrakis <mac...@gm...> wrote:

> As Fateman points out, no common programming languages support subscripted formal variables, for all the good reasons you give.

That's a pretty weak argument, isn't it? There's already all kinds of
stuff in Maxima that doesn't exist in other languages; that's kind of
the point of having different languages.

There may be other reasons against non-symbols as arguments, but
simple popularity or lack of it isn't one of them.

> If it's just the name that is wanted, users can use other conventions if their variables have conventional names, e.g., phi_x, phi_y, phi_z.

Maxima already allows nonatomic expressions to be used as variables in
various contexts, which makes it an unpleasant surprise that it
doesn't extend to formal arguments.

Robert