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Even if not related to it and my get some downvoted for saying this. Something that strike me in this post is how cooler haskell code looks vs python.

• skywhopper 13y ago
  For values of "cool" meaning "undecipherable", sure.
  • joehillen 13y ago
    This is a common misconception. Haskell is extremely readable. You just have to learn it. Python reads like pseudo-code where as Haskell reads like math. Both are readable, they are just different. I suspect it's easier to teach someone Haskell if they have never done imperative programming before because they have a lot less hang ups.
    • skywhopper 13y ago
      The "joke" was that Haskell looks very different from most popular programming languages, and that folks who think it "looks cooler than Python" are likely reacting to its indecipherability combined with the fact that it's clearly doing something interesting. At least Python programmers have a sense of humor.
    • sea6ear 13y ago
      I think this is a fairly insightful analysis. Haskell seems to be semantically very dense - each symbol or function packs a lot of meaning. Reading Haskell for me is like when I had to do math proofs in Real Analysis or Abstract Algebra - it takes a fair amount of time to get into the mode where I can understand what is written very concisely in front of me. To me it seems that Haskell suffers from some of the same problem that mathematics does - it is very concise notation for someone already familiar with the concepts, and a lot faster to write if you are familiar, but reading requires unpacking all the meaning of the notation, so ultimately is far more time consuming unless you are already familiar with the concepts that are in the code.
• mercurial 13y ago
  The nice thing with Haskell is that it can be extremely compact. The problem with Haskell is that it can be extremely compact.
  • bjackman 13y ago
    map (format "The %s thing with Haskell is that it can be extremely compact") ["nice thing", "problem"] (disclaimer: that probably isn't actual Haskell syntax.)
    • ajanuary 13y ago
      map (("The "++).(++" with Haskell is that it can be extremely compact")) ["nice thing", "problem"]
    • chongli 13y ago
      mapM_ (printf "The %s thing with Haskell is that it can be extremely compact\n") ["nice thing", "problem"] This works. :) Alternatively, you could do this: forM_ ["nice thing", "problem"] $ printf "The %s thing with Haskell is that it can be extremely compact\n"