I tried learning Scheme. I found that the syntax was easy, basic recursion was easy, solving simple math problems was easy, and even dealing with cons and cdr was pretty easy. What's difficult is learning functional programming.
Anyone can pick up Scheme syntax really fast. Where it gets difficult is when people start telling you to not use state, not change values of variables, and to stop using side-effects.
Most people have never done functional programming. How does one make the leap from imperative programming to functional programming?
Googling for "things I hate about Perl" turns up a number of articles -- often written by folks who like Perl 5 but who also are happy to admit to its issues.
> He is a former physicist? Good god, the waste...
Not sure what you're getting at. I got my BS in Physics. Then even went to grad school for a while. There is no such thing as "getting a job in physics". There are no "physics jobs" that I could find. It's basically either go into high school teaching, or else get your PhD and try for an associate professor job while learning how to apply for grants.
My education in Physics was basically a bust. Entertainment. Fun to learn that stuff. Then I owed a lot of money. That's it. Had to actually learn something else in order to pay off the loans and make a living.
Anyone can pick up Scheme syntax really fast. Where it gets difficult is when people start telling you to not use state, not change values of variables, and to stop using side-effects.
Most people have never done functional programming. How does one make the leap from imperative programming to functional programming?