[fpgeek]

I couldn't disagree more.

I find that the aversion to side effects even when working in imperative languages is one of the most useful things I've learned from functional programming.

It is true that, at one level of abstraction, we write programs for their side effects. However, it is also true that having the right side effects is extremely important - so important that a program with the wrong side effects can easily be worse than no program at all. From that perspective, a focus on minimizing, containing and controlling side effects is very valuable. And an aversion to side effects is a good way to sharpen your focus on that.

[guccimane]

> I couldn't disagree more.

I know. Trust me, I know.