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by dndn1 786 days ago
I like your conviction Re "functional programming is very easy to grasp".

Many won't but I agree in the purest (sorry) sense.

There is no scattered changing state. I think we all learned input-function-output as a construct in maths class?

Spreadsheets (sans-VBA) is arguably the most prolific programming language and simplest, being used by people who do not recognise they are programming. Felienne Hermans gave a good talk on this subject in GOTO 2016.

Spreadsheets have numerous shortfalls though, and "real" functional programming languages make it difficult to not feel intimidated: in my experience, but this is getting much better.

[1] is a game of life in calculang, functional language I'm developing, where for all it's verbosity at least I hope the rules and development over generation (g) can be reasoned with (sans-state!).

Not very practical but can show calculang computation/workings as it progresses and as parameters change - things that are easy for FP and otherwise intractable, and which further help with reasoning.

But, a big challenge is to be approachable (not intimidating), and I'm trying to make that better. I think it helps enormously to be focused on numbers as calculang is, and not general programming.

[1] https://6615bc99ad130f0008ecc588--calculang-editables.netlif...