[Haskell-cafe] Re: How did you stumble on Haskell?

[Chad Scherrer]

I started using Python around 1998, and I loved the elegance of it, but I
was frustrated with the performance. Around 2001 I was poking around for
something that would give me better performance but still allow some nice
capabilities for abstraction.

I started using OCaml after reading a commentary from one of the Shootout
guys that he had been impressed with it. I loved the performance and the
parametrized modules, but the lack of overloading was frustrating. Once I
was looking for a nice rule of thumb for when to use foldl vs. foldr, and
was disappointed to hear "Just use foldl - it's tail recursive." Maybe
there's a place for folding right in a strict language, but I haven't seen
it.

Once I was deep into OCaml, Haskell kept coming up, since so many people
using OCaml also like Haskell. Seeing some elegance in "A Gentle
Introduction to Haskell" and not immediately understanding it got me hooked
right away. And there's a time to fold right!

Chad
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