
Why Isn't Functional Programming the Norm? [video] - oska
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QyJZzq0v7Z4
======
fargle
Good presenter. Critique: I think an awful lot of the time and energy is spend
analyzing the market type reasons for each language being popular. But by the
time we get to supporting a thesis that OOP is less relevant, or not central,
to things like C++ and Java, not enough time and energy to really bring it
home. And I'm not sure I'm convinced, although it is an excellent theory.

Here's what I think: The dichotomy exposed in essays like
[https://blog.codinghorror.com/separating-programming-
sheep-f...](https://blog.codinghorror.com/separating-programming-sheep-from-
non-programming-goats/) and The Camel has Two Humps:
[http://eis.mdx.ac.uk/research/PhDArea/saeed/paper1.pdf](http://eis.mdx.ac.uk/research/PhDArea/saeed/paper1.pdf),
is real. I see it every day.

I think there is another dichotomy. Many people who can code, can think the
way needed to write software (not just fumbling and guessing), and can
understand a structural and procedural way of thinking. But a large proportion
just cannot understand functional programming. "Poof!". I don't think it's
education. I think it's a lack of a particular and obscure innate mathematical
ability. And I don't think it's a defect either.

Peoples brains are wired different. Visual vs. verbal. Well FP, certain types
of math (say number theory), temporal thinking (threads, race conditions,
liveness proofs), are very different kinds of thinking than the basic "recipe-
like" procedural coding.

So FP isn't the norm because out of 100 people, perhaps 5 can program. Out of
that 5, perhaps 1 really "gets" FP. Maybe one more can force it and get it
done.

My experience is watching co-workers try to maintain and manage a simple tool
written in a functional language. It made perfect sense to me, but it was a
disaster. Folks, some things that are easy-ish for you are just not easy for
others. It's not "smart" vs "not-smart". Understand, not everyone is wired up
the same way.

And the ability to really get FP is one of those things that is neither easy
nor common.

~~~
oska
In case you didn't see it, this video was re-submitted and a much longer
discussion thread ensued:

[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21280429](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21280429)

