[Haskell-cafe] learning advanced haskell

[Andrew Coppin]

John Lato wrote:
> I sort of agree with this, with some very large caveats.
>   

Well, yes. If you don't know what a feature does, then you won't know 
that it solves the problem you have.

> However, there's a lot to be said for both intellectual curiosity and
> learning for the sake of knowledge. Just because you may never need
> to use a feature doesn't mean you shouldn't be able to understand it.
>   

There is that. However, in my experience, most of the advanced 
techniques tend to be described in language beyond my comprehension. 
(And most examples seem overly complex - although maybe that's just a 
reflection of the fact that simple problems don't require sophisticated 
techniques in the first place.) Having a specific problem to solve can 
be quite helpful. Unlike an example, you already understand what the 
problem is, and why it can't easily be solved any other way.