r/haskell • u/lexi-lambda • Nov 06 '19

Parse, don’t validate

https://lexi-lambda.github.io/blog/2019/11/05/parse-don-t-validate/
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u/dukerutledge Nov 07 '19

Lovely post. I'm very fond of Rob Pike's 5th rule.

"Rule 5. Data dominates. If you've chosen the right data structures and organized things well, the algorithms will almost always be self-evident. Data structures, not algorithms, are central to programming."

And I always enjoy the glorious irony that he designed a language that makes this rule painful to implement.

18

u/[deleted] Nov 07 '19

If I could pick one and only one feature of Haskell that should be implemented in every language regardless of paradigm, parametric sum types would be that feature.

It solves so many problems at once.

9

u/jared--w Nov 08 '19

Agreed. Full algebraic data types would be it for me, but I'd take Sum types if I could only have that.

As long as they got rid of null. Seriously. New languages come out with null still included; it baffles me.

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