[Haskell-cafe] Haskell not ready for Foo [was: Re: Hypothetical Haskell job in New York]

[John Goerzen]

John A. De Goes wrote:
> 
> Hi Austin,
> 
> How do you know it's not your experience with FFI code that isn't
> biased? As far as I know, there has been no systematic attempt to
> document whether pure Haskell or FFI-based libraries are better designed
> and better maintained. Which means your statements come from your
> experience, and my statements come from my experience, and the truth is
> probably somewhere in between.
> 
> In my experience, FFI code is often based on bulk translation of C
> header files into the IO monad. It requires an exact version of a
> library to work (usually much older than the current), it does not
> compile out of the box, there's scant documentation, and very little
> high-level design has been imposed on the low-level C interface (may as
> well use C!). Exceptions to this rule, there are, but as I said before,
> my experience leads me to believe they *are* exceptions to a *general* rule.

Which libraries are you talking about?  I haven't ever used *any* like
that, as far as I know.

Current libraries almost always do build right out of the box with
standard cabal commands.

Maybe part of what you state was accurate a few years ago, but right now?

As far as selection bias is concerned, that would apply equally well to
both of us, would it not?

-- John