[Haskell-cafe] In what language...?

[Andrew Coppin]

On 25/10/2010 11:01 PM, Lauri Alanko wrote:
> On Mon, Oct 25, 2010 at 10:10:56PM +0100, Andrew Coppin wrote:
>> Type theory doesn't actually interest me, I just wandered what the
>> hell all the notation means.
> That sounds like an oxymoron. How could you possibly learn what the
> notation "means" without learning about the subject that the notation
> is about? That's like saying "I'm not actually interested in calculus,
> I'd just like to know what the hell all these funny S-like symbols
> mean".

You can explain the integral notation in a few short sentences without 
having to undergo an entire semester of integral calculus training. 
Hell, the other night I was laying in bed with my girlfriend (who hates 
mathematics) and I managed to make her understand what a partial 
derivative is.

Now of course if you needed to *use* integral calculus for something, 
that's another matter entirely. But just to get the gist of what it's 
about and what it's for is much simpler.

> So I will add voice to those recommending TAPL.

OK, well maybe I'll see if somebody will buy it for me for Christmas or 
something...