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If you can explain why you like them in terms of business value they provide, in the context of the specific problem this code is meant to solve, then I agree.

If you can explain why you like them in terms of business value they provide, in the context of the specific problem this code is meant to solve, then I agree. But without these, it's like hiring a construction worker who will use any excuse to use a backhoe, even when it isn't suitable, just because they love operating it. It's childish and unprofessional, and as an employer, even if you have full time backhoe work for them to do, you want to avoid hiring them, because they'll probably cause a lot of damage to your building site driving the backhoe everywhere when someone else with a wheelbarrow would have been more suitable. Their excitement clouds their judgement about the efficacy of their tool of choice, and they will apply it when it isn't optimal. Elixir is great for massively parallel web facing problems, and if you can explain it as a tool you have in your toolbox for solving this kind of problem then great. But if you say Elixir is awesome and then want to use it to generate graphs from CSV files for internal business metrics, you've lost me.

weatherlight 4y ago
> But if you say Elixir is awesome and then want to use it to generate graphs from CSV files for internal business metrics, you've lost me. uhhh, so Elixir is a general purpose language that solves everyday problems. and just happens to havethis phenomenal almost "no-code" solution to literally the problem you just presented, with Elixir Livebook. ... The VM is 35 years old. The syntax is Algol inspired, the Elixir syntax is 10 years old, FP as a paradigm has been around since 1958. It's not some new and shiny toy, it's simply unfamiliar to you.
pmarreck 4y ago
I think the majority of programmers don't have that problem, especially with semi-regular discussion/contact. In the past, when I really wanted to try something and the boss didn't agree with spending work time on it, I spent my weekend time on it (back before I had a kid- Seems like a luxury, now!). Most of the time, I came up with something I could demonstrate on the following Monday which got accepted. Sometimes, it didn't, or my hunch/effort was unsuccessful (but I wasn't unhappy because at least I tried).

weatherlight 4y ago

> But if you say Elixir is awesome and then want to use it to generate graphs from CSV files for internal business metrics, you've lost me. uhhh, so Elixir is a general purpose language that solves everyday problems. and just happens to havethis phenomenal almost "no-code" solution to literally the problem you just presented, with Elixir Livebook. ... The VM is 35 years old. The syntax is Algol inspired, the Elixir syntax is 10 years old, FP as a paradigm has been around since 1958. It's not some new and shiny toy, it's simply unfamiliar to you.

pmarreck 4y ago

I think the majority of programmers don't have that problem, especially with semi-regular discussion/contact. In the past, when I really wanted to try something and the boss didn't agree with spending work time on it, I spent my weekend time on it (back before I had a kid- Seems like a luxury, now!). Most of the time, I came up with something I could demonstrate on the following Monday which got accepted. Sometimes, it didn't, or my hunch/effort was unsuccessful (but I wasn't unhappy because at least I tried).