ENOUGH! (Hiring Haskell programmers)

[Jerzy Karczmarczuk]

Ladies.
Gentlemen.

What is a "Haskell programmer"?

Frankly, I am fed-up with this thread which from time to time raises its
ugly head like a Phoenix Turtle mutant...

Does anybody (especially young people who want to use Haskell to get more money,
love, health and political influence...) seriously think that we are in a *such*
hyperspecialized world?

I'll tell you an anecdote. *Absolutely* authentic.

Once upon a time, some centuries ago, when the dynasty of Jagellons in
Poland became extinct like dinosaurs, my folk had a splendid idea to have
elected kings. They elected a whole bunch of them, one worse than another,
with first of them, one Alexander, the Duke of Anjou (known afterwards as
Henry Valois), who after a few months flew away to France, stealing the
Crown Treasure goodies, and became the reputed Henry III. The punishment
came later, but unavoidably...
(But I am digressing...)

After one very successful election, the Ambassador of Venice wrote a letter
to his sovereign:

  "Poles elected a new king.
   Very impressive man, very cultivated.
   Speaks fluently 7 foreign languages.
   And has nothing to say whatsoever in any of them..."

===

OK, now seriously.
A PROGRAMMER should know how to program independently of the linguistic
quirks of this or that language. Yeah, I know, this is an ideal presupposing
that such a fellow is really well educated in algorithmics, security,
interfacing etc., which is seldom the case.

But, anyway, functional programming is for intelligent people.

Intelligent people should say to an employer <<in spe>>:

"Don't ask me about Java, etc., buzzwords. I can program in ANY language.
 My strength relies not in "in which language", but in the usage of good
 algorithms/coding paradigms, security & maintenance issues, etc.
 It happens, though, that if you give me some freedom, I know some best
 languages in the world to fulfil the tasks you plan, notably Haskell.
 
 Oh, nobody here uses it, and I should comply with your protocols?
 No problem, I won't insist. But from time to time I will show also how
 the things can be coded faster and nicer".

Je vous souhaite Salud y Pesetas.

Jerzy Karczmarczuk
Caen, France