11 ms·

How did you go from "never going to go mainstream" to "not worth learning"? First of all, you are right. Haskell is never going to become as common as C or Jav

by shawnz 13y ago

How did you go from "never going to go mainstream" to "not worth learning"? First of all, you are right. Haskell is never going to become as common as C or Java, and I don't think anybody is claiming that it will. It is a language that is designed around theoretical concerns rather than being pragmatic. But that is exactly what makes it so valuable to learn.

Pacabel 13y ago
Realistically, I don't think that knowing Haskell really would benefit most programmers, especially those working on typical, everyday software systems. There are some relatively niche situations where it might be a good choice, but those are few and far between. We've seen the most useful and practical features offered by Haskell make their way into other more mainstream languages over the years. The more theoretical features haven't made this transition because they really aren't all that practical. At this point, most programmers would be better off learning more about security, cryptography, databases, networking and other everyday topics than they would be by learning about the more theoretical functionality offered by Haskell.
- chongli 13y ago
  Realistically, I don't think that knowing Haskell really would benefit most programmers, especially those working on typical, everyday software systems. Just curious. How much Haskell/FP experience do you have?
  - Pacabel 13y ago
    A fair amount. I used ML and Haskell in the 1990s in an academic setting, and have since used Haskell, Erlang, and Scala at various times while in industry. And I've tried out a number of other functional languages out of interest, as well. Functional programming does offer some benefits, in some cases. I'm not suggesting that it doesn't. And while I don't think it'd be harmful to know Haskell, I'm not convinced that the benefit it would bring is necessarily worth the effort involved, especially for programmers who are already busy with work and other commitments.

by shawnz 13y ago

Pacabel 13y ago

Realistically, I don't think that knowing Haskell really would benefit most programmers, especially those working on typical, everyday software systems. There are some relatively niche situations where it might be a good choice, but those are few and far between. We've seen the most useful and practical features offered by Haskell make their way into other more mainstream languages over the years. The more theoretical features haven't made this transition because they really aren't all that practical. At this point, most programmers would be better off learning more about security, cryptography, databases, networking and other everyday topics than they would be by learning about the more theoretical functionality offered by Haskell.

chongli 13y ago
Realistically, I don't think that knowing Haskell really would benefit most programmers, especially those working on typical, everyday software systems. Just curious. How much Haskell/FP experience do you have?
- Pacabel 13y ago
  A fair amount. I used ML and Haskell in the 1990s in an academic setting, and have since used Haskell, Erlang, and Scala at various times while in industry. And I've tried out a number of other functional languages out of interest, as well. Functional programming does offer some benefits, in some cases. I'm not suggesting that it doesn't. And while I don't think it'd be harmful to know Haskell, I'm not convinced that the benefit it would bring is necessarily worth the effort involved, especially for programmers who are already busy with work and other commitments.