Re:Ask HN: Why is functional programming not more popular?
by fulafel on Wednesday November 06, 2019 @01:24AM
(#21460183)
In the market of ideas, there usually isn't any reason that makes the good ideas unpopular. That's the default outcome.
Some good ideas eventually make it to mainstream / conventional wisdom because there's some second factor that brings them to the spotlight. For languages it might be a killer app, big corporate investment, etc.
In https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QyJZzq0v7Z4 Richard Feldman puts up a (well founded IMO) argument that OO became accidentally popular because of C++. C++ didn't do OO well, nor was OO the main benefit of C++, it just happened to be something that came with C++.
Some good ideas eventually make it to mainstream / conventional wisdom because there's some second factor that brings them to the spotlight. For languages it might be a killer app, big corporate investment, etc.
In https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QyJZzq0v7Z4 Richard Feldman puts up a (well founded IMO) argument that OO became accidentally popular because of C++. C++ didn't do OO well, nor was OO the main benefit of C++, it just happened to be something that came with C++.