> Speaking of making code less clear, how is "int list list" not clear? It's an int-list list. As in, a list of int-lists. So of course it should parse as "(int list) list". Why change to backwards annotations? Just to prevent existing code from working as-is, and making people used to reading ML spend extra brain cycles on remembering that your types read the opposite way?

This is actually an improvement in my opinion. Reusing the syntax for function application in type application makes the language more uniform. It's even necessary with dependent types.

A lot of the better changes reminds me of the revised syntax http://caml.inria.fr/pub/docs/manual-camlp4/manual007.html

(why would you introduce the ternary operator when if-then-else is so much nicer to read?!)