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This is so true, it hurts. From my personal (and rather limited) experience, there are two kinds of people who are into FP. First are those who will act like c

This is so true, it hurts. From my personal (and rather limited) experience, there are two kinds of people who are into FP. First are those who will act like christian missionaries or competitive vegans and tell you all about it in the most obnoxious way possible every time they see you. And the rest are those who you wouldn't even know are into FP. Obviously exaggerating for a comedic effect here, as there are a few people in the middle. But the median of my personal experiences is definitely very well described by just those 2 commonly present types above. You joke, but your "to shut the obsessed ones down easier" reasoning for getting into FP was one of my primary reasons for doing the same (along with just actually liking FP paradigms and learning quite a bit of cool stuff from it).

magicalhippo 4y ago
Being self-taught, once we got internet back in the days I spent a lot of time on IRC for help with programming. As I grew more experienced I spent a lot of time on IRC helping others. After a decade or so, I formulated a theory based on my myself and those I helped on IRC. It seemed many (most?) programmers starting out followed a similar trajectory where, as they became competent programmers and grew confident in their skills, would latch on to some way as the way. Then, over time, as they got a lot more experience, they'd realize that often there are many different approaches with different merits and tradeoffs, and not get so dismissive to other approaches. Could it be your "two kinds" are those that just became good at FP, and those that have been good at it for a while and grown in experience? Anyway, not saying this is any profound insight, just something that struck me at some point during my journey. edit: Not all would grow beyond that initial stage. Some plateaued shortly after. But for myself and many of those I followed over time seemed to fit this.
- q7xvh97o2pDhNrh 4y ago
  I learned a ton through IRC, too! And I'd give a strong +1 for this pattern. Personally, I think it applies generally to a lot of fields. Once someone has sufficient experience and wisdom, they inevitably come face-to-face with how little they truly know. Ideally, that humility is paired with a general sense of wonder and curiosity. I think, once you realize how little you know, it gets so much easier to (re)embody the childlike curiosity and desire to learn more. I don't think it's a given, though -- and sometimes (at the risk of arrogantly declaring myself to be humble), I find it pretty hard not to be overwhelmed by the massive volumes of reality that I'll never get to learn about. William Butler Yeats had a slightly different -- but far more beautifully phrased -- take on it in his poem, The Second Coming: [1] The best lack all conviction, while the worst Are full of passionate intensity. [1]: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/43290/the-second-coming https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/43290/the-second-comi...

magicalhippo 4y ago

Being self-taught, once we got internet back in the days I spent a lot of time on IRC for help with programming. As I grew more experienced I spent a lot of time on IRC helping others. After a decade or so, I formulated a theory based on my myself and those I helped on IRC. It seemed many (most?) programmers starting out followed a similar trajectory where, as they became competent programmers and grew confident in their skills, would latch on to some way as the way. Then, over time, as they got a lot more experience, they'd realize that often there are many different approaches with different merits and tradeoffs, and not get so dismissive to other approaches. Could it be your "two kinds" are those that just became good at FP, and those that have been good at it for a while and grown in experience? Anyway, not saying this is any profound insight, just something that struck me at some point during my journey. edit: Not all would grow beyond that initial stage. Some plateaued shortly after. But for myself and many of those I followed over time seemed to fit this.

q7xvh97o2pDhNrh 4y ago
I learned a ton through IRC, too! And I'd give a strong +1 for this pattern. Personally, I think it applies generally to a lot of fields. Once someone has sufficient experience and wisdom, they inevitably come face-to-face with how little they truly know. Ideally, that humility is paired with a general sense of wonder and curiosity. I think, once you realize how little you know, it gets so much easier to (re)embody the childlike curiosity and desire to learn more. I don't think it's a given, though -- and sometimes (at the risk of arrogantly declaring myself to be humble), I find it pretty hard not to be overwhelmed by the massive volumes of reality that I'll never get to learn about. William Butler Yeats had a slightly different -- but far more beautifully phrased -- take on it in his poem, The Second Coming: [1] The best lack all conviction, while the worst Are full of passionate intensity. [1]: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/43290/the-second-coming https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/43290/the-second-comi...