Re:Why functional programming matters (1990) [pdf]
by seanmcdirmid on Thursday May 07, 2015 @10:56PM
(#9509751)
> Static typing would indeed add to the resistance if it required you to jump through hoops.
No arguments there. Haskell makes some interesting tradeoffs in this regard, I'm not sure they are optimal but they are definitely valid.
> Unless you go crazy with Smalltalk-like hot-plug live systems (and even then, see Yi and Xmonad), static typing is permissive enough.
The PL community is just really bad at exploring incremental type checking technology. It is totally possible (and I'm doing it with the live programming language I'm working on).
I only claimed that: if static typing feels like it is resisting too much, programmers won't like it. How fluid is programming in Haskell? Ever try using it in a REPL?
> The first is, some of us are Vulcans.
Yep. Take SPJ, the guy is brilliant and I feel like we are from different planets when we talk.
> In other words, Vulcans are better at "math", and put programming into the "math" bucket.
Some programmers like to treat programming as math, but definitely not all of them or even a majority of them.
> My second theory is that everyone could adapt to anything, if only they would bother to learn. Anyone can think like a Vulcan.
Spock was never able to convert Kirk. And I doubt we ever wanted him to.
No arguments there. Haskell makes some interesting tradeoffs in this regard, I'm not sure they are optimal but they are definitely valid.
> Unless you go crazy with Smalltalk-like hot-plug live systems (and even then, see Yi and Xmonad), static typing is permissive enough.
The PL community is just really bad at exploring incremental type checking technology. It is totally possible (and I'm doing it with the live programming language I'm working on).
I only claimed that: if static typing feels like it is resisting too much, programmers won't like it. How fluid is programming in Haskell? Ever try using it in a REPL?
> The first is, some of us are Vulcans.
Yep. Take SPJ, the guy is brilliant and I feel like we are from different planets when we talk.
> In other words, Vulcans are better at "math", and put programming into the "math" bucket.
Some programmers like to treat programming as math, but definitely not all of them or even a majority of them.
> My second theory is that everyone could adapt to anything, if only they would bother to learn. Anyone can think like a Vulcan.
Spock was never able to convert Kirk. And I doubt we ever wanted him to.