[Haskell-beginners] Is haskell a good choice for someone, who never programmed before?

[Michael Mossey]

edgar klerks wrote:
> Hi All,
> 
> I have a question. A friend of mine wants to learn a programming 
> language, because we work together. He studied economics and is busy in 
> the financial sector. I understood Haskell is used there pretty much, so 
> he got interested in it. But is haskell a good language for someone, who 
> never even tried a language like basic?

The book "Haskell: the Craft of Functional Programming" by Simon Thompson 
is written as a textbook suitable for Haskell as a first language. It does 
a good job of guiding the student's thought process: reasoning about 
programs, testing, proof, the development cycle, and the benefits of 
abstraction. It suggests ways of thinking about software by sketching 
temporary code, making diagrams, and the like.

My first (and my next ten or so) languages were imperative, so I struggled 
the first few months with Haskell. But like others, I suspect that Haskell 
is an easy first language when your mind is guided correctly.

Mike