> > at this point > Which is a huge problem. Optimizing around the current fashion is generally a mistake. I think this invokes the invention vs. discovery de

> > at this point > Which is a huge problem. Optimizing around the current fashion is generally a mistake. I think this invokes the invention vs. discovery debate. There are many "design patterns" in Haskell, some of which might be regarded as clever inventions (for example conduits and pipes), in which case I agree that there's an element of "fashion" involved, which leads to incompatibilities and churn. However, Monad and Applicative are clear examples of discoveries. Even if we try to write code without them, the pattern will still be lurking in there somewhere. Applicative is basically a "static" data-flow graph; ie. the graph is fixed, data flows through. Monad is a "dynamic" graph; parts of the graph can be generated from the data. These patterns will still be present, even if we use a completely different language.