Many people who wish to became a programmer start with estimation of the language popularity on the market. But the clever appoach is to start with the salary analysis and choose the language where the competiton is low-middle, while the compensation is great. This article aims to figure out why such language like Haskell is worth studying. We’ll evaluate the benefits and downsides of having it in your porftolio.
Very popular nowdays TypeScript, Python, C++ are imperative or mixed cultivated programming languages, while Haskell is a functional type and is structured differently.
IT gurus, however, claim that comparison is not always appropriate. Different programming languages solve various tasks. Often factors like the coding skills of a person make a significant change in their career. The question of whether we need Haskell is not accurate, as a confirmation, check this post to see the projects written in Haskell.
Let’s go deeper into the implementation and the future potential.
Haskell’s basic principles
Let’s identify how Haskell works and how IT professionals use it. Many Haskell followers believe that using its principles allows better understanding of programming. And seeing the distinction between imperative and functional developing methods helps them to work out optimal solutions, implementing the composition of OOP and FP languages.
One of Haskell’s great features is that it is backed up by mathematical format and calculations supported to accelerate the processes and reduce the memory load. It also results in clear and more structured code. The calculations are postponed to the time, when it is requested by the function. Unlike in OOP, where events are happening in sequence, and the calculation of all variables is running even if not necessary, Haskell usually refers to a language of lazy calculations.
In object-oriented programming, analyses are made in advance, and functions with variables are ready to be used. Commonly in not lazy counting components of a procedure are figured before execution.
Implementation of Haskell
Haskell has found its use in the financial sector. Financial platforms, cryptocurrencies, and and market predictions demand strong mathematical analysis and strong security. This is where Haskell comes to the scene. Haskell’s precise mathematical approach helps big financial institutions, banks and financial platforms to create their tools and develop functionality. Haskell strong typisation is a key to data protection, accuracy and speed of transactions.
Word processing and spam filtering programs utilize Haskell for its simplicity and mistake-free algorithms. It is appropriate for breaking down the rules of the languages.
Senior programmers employ Haskel and Agdal for audit of the software solutions, written in other languages. It is doing a great job of test potential breaches and discrepansies.
Equally, Haskell can be used for integration of different SaaS and OS software solution to the unique, stable and invulnerable software system.
Haskell pros and cons
The main difference between functional programming languages like Haskell is in the approach to code writing. Many coders believe it allows to overcome the problems that were difficult to solve in object-oriented languages. Following the new trend and being among the Haskell experts now means being productive and successful.
Haskell community speaks about many of its advantages like:
- division in pure and impure layers at the language level
- mathematical approach to data
- reliability and consistency
- useful monads (Maybe, Either, List)
- variety of primitives for competitive programming (Software Transactional Memory, MVar)
Due to Haskell’s consistency, there is an understanding of what is done correct and what is not. While using other languages is often hard to identify which part of the code works incorrectly, and there is a big chance of mistakes. Usage of an advanced type system makes invalid states unacceptable, and wrong program states just can’t be programmed. Haskell concepts are great for writing multiple stream codes. Its innovative approaches and ideas allow it to resist complexity and improve program reliability.
The good news is that there are a variety of Haskell training materials: books, articles, video courses and exercises. And there is always someone to ask for help. Haskell has its built-in systems and package managers. They work great, and the GHC compiler generates optimized, relatively quick code (even better than Java or JVM).
There are some Haskell disadvantages:
- the complexity of top-level type-level concepts, unsatisfactory work with records – the downsides of its lazy nature
- some significant problems with the ecosystem. The development of its only compiler — GHC — occurs unevenly, sometimes with a loss of backwards compatibility.
- the libraries are a little insufficient, the documentation is often poor, and solving non-standard tasks will be difficult.
- approaches for large applications have just been established, and there is a long way to go.
- various operational systems issues. Haskell works great with Linux and macOS but brings problems to Windows.
- there are no good IDEs for Haskell.
Haskell’s myths and reality
There is a myth in the developer community that Haskell is a language for mathematics. This myth is very distressing. Programmers claim that it is an academic language, yet very practical, and high performing. Not everyone using Haskell possess deep knowledge of mathematical concepts.
There are people in the community doing academically intelligent things on the edge of computer science, and they need math. But others successfully develop commercial products on Haskell without a need for mathematical issues.
The future of Haskell
Some believe that Haskell has no future, and will no longer survive next to object-oriented (Java, Python, C++) or imperative languages(Rust, C, C++).
There are concerns that Haskell may stop attracting attention due to traditional programming reliability and leadership. Nevertheless, Haskell is still on the market, gaining popularity and winning the place as Web 3.0 technology, which as predicted by many experts, is the future of the web is based on functional programming paradigm. And Haskell is one of the bright representatives of this class.
Answering if Haskell will be in demand in future, experts and programmists say that interest in functional programming is generally growing, and Haskell itself is actively developing. Open source libraries, development of Glasgow Haskell compiler, and the strong demand for the reliable and powerful language for the financial markets support the progress of Haskell all around the world.
