The reason we can compare different data types is pragmatism. Sorting algorithms don’t need to worry about different data types in order to sort.
from Official docs.
blackode
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Exadra37
I saw it from your article, but still does not make any sense to me… it’s just unnatural, not intuitive, does not make sense that when comparing a number that a thing that is not a number can be compared… it’s just bad design in my opinion.
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NobbZ
But this is, what makes it possible to have sorted lists, regardless of what types the elements are.
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Exadra37
In my opinion is not worth the trade-off…
I will not play Russian roulette just because I can get a fortune if the gun chamber is empty.
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blackode
Yeah! Lists are compared element by element. List can have element of type any(). So we need something that compares types. Some kinda standard comparions rule.
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NobbZ
It is not russian roulette, it is well documented behaviour.
3. chapter of the guides (https://elixir-lang.org/getting-started/basic-operators.html) and also in the hexdocs, its in the “Operators” page: Operators reference — Elixir v1.20.2
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Exadra37
No matter if is documented or not is not intuitive to have this behavior at all.
I have not got it when I read it the first time I was learning Elixir and I bet that lot more like me exist out there and will be bitten by this in production.
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