[Haskell-cafe] Channel9 Interview: Software Composability and t heFu ture of Languages

[Malcolm Wallace]

> >Maybe they just don't want to have to
> >take graduate-level classes in category theory to get their job done.

If I wanted to purchase a large, complex, and unique, physical system
(like a new bridge, say), you can be sure that I would employ an
engineer who had taken graduate classes on all sorts of technical stuff
related to bridge-building.  Why should I accept that large, complex,
and unique software systems should be built by non-experts, who shy away
from education that could help them "get their job done" better?

I imagine that if bridge-designers could insert a legal clause in their
contract stating "THIS BRIDGE IS ACCEPTED AS IS, WITHOUT ANY
WARRANTY..." then we might see fewer engineers bothering to take
graduate classes as well.

There is a myth that software is easy, and anything that seems to make
it more difficult can be brushed off.  But what if in fact the
difficulties are inherent?  Then tools that reveal the difficulty (and
help to tame it) should be welcomed.

Regards,
    Malcolm