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u/clonicle 1d ago
Functional programming (like LISP) is just a way for the universe to understand itself.
As always, LISP here is purely parenthetical though.
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u/skwyckl 1d ago edited 1d ago
I feel that LISP is like the idol in Indiana Jones, programmers look away in fear that it would be the last language ever they learn, and they don't want to deal with this face-melting truth. It's a good thing that God helped humans avoid LISP by making their simple brains perceive parentheses as "ugly".
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u/frikilinux2 1d ago
That happened to me with Haskell, like the language is wtf after wtf but you reach a moment you suddenly understand everything but it's really hard for the rest of the universe to not consider you insane.
Functional programming is to computer science what infinity or gödel's theorems are to mathematics. Idk I'm not that great at maths.
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u/LemonQueasy7590 1d ago
I know exactly what you mean. I’ve been working on a Python project after doing a lot in Haskell and I miss my immutable values and rock solid type checking so much.
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u/frikilinux2 1d ago
As long as you don't miss the concept of kind. But switching between Haskell and python sounds hard.
Way harder than the switch I did years ago from C++ to Python.
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u/LemonQueasy7590 23h ago
With pylance I have some semblance of type checking but it still can get confused easily.
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u/BlaiseLabs 23h ago
I just like being able to comment Curry Howard correspondence whenever I can.
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u/frikilinux2 23h ago
I don't know what that is. I forgot most functional programming and Haskell
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u/BlaiseLabs 23h ago
I’m not brave enough to claim I know what it is on Reddit but my understanding is that code is math, something like that. Would love if someone with the proper math background could break it down further.
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u/guttanzer 1d ago
There are two major theories of computing - Turing machines (operations modify state) and Lambda calculus (operations modify function). Skill in one doesn’t necessarily translate into skill with the other. The best software folks know both.
LISP started out as a theorem proving an equivalence between list notation and lambda calculus. So mastering LISP is mastering lambda calculus.
That’s powerful stuff, so everyone claiming to know software engineering should master LISP. Do I enjoy LISP programming? Yes. Would I use it for everything? No.
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u/IronicRobotics 1h ago
TBH, it's kinda why I love common lisp so much. Common Lisp lets you program in whatever style you feel best solves the problem. That + it's macros + it's dynamic object system means I'd use it for very very many things if I could hahaha.
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u/guttanzer 46m ago
The French wrote their entire air traffic control system in LISP. The programming effort took 1/6th the time of equivalent systems in C/C++ and it's just as fast as C/C++ in operation.
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u/SinsOfTheFether 1d ago
(defun attain(enlightenment understanding)
(cond
(understanding < enlightenment)
(understanding + (enlightenment-understanding)/2)))
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u/MavetheGreat 1d ago
I was very confused by this one until I looked over and saw which sub it was on.
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u/Buttons840 23h ago
This is my Emacs config too. Surely just a few more lines of Elisp and it will finally be perfect.
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u/BitOne2707 23h ago
The key is to stop using it right when you get to the flat part curve and never touch it again. Learning Lisp, specifically Scheme, was one of the coolest most enlightening moments I've had in CS. Haven't touched it again in 15 years.
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u/changeLynx 22h ago
Trap 2, I can outbalance the time put in and skill level, I swear only a few month and then I'm at the flat line
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u/Newbosterone 1d ago
Lots of irritating silly parentheses.
BTW, that timescale is “one lifetime”. You learn lisp sometime between 15-25, spend your working career trying to master it, and then die unenlightened.
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u/Z_BabbleBlox 21h ago
'Just one more close parenthesis ")" and I will have it.. I know I will.' -- every LISP programmer ever.
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u/trimeta 1d ago
Obligatory xkcd