Lisp or Haskell (not a flame war)

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2851840

by mcandre • 15 years ago

1 3 15 years ago

news.ycombinator.com

When embarking on a new project, I often have trouble deciding between Lisp with its flexible macros and Haskell with its robust type system goodness. Does anyone else do this (e.g. Perl vs Python)?

jamesbritt• 15 years ago

This sounds like a trick question to get people to debate "What, really, is a functional programming language?"

And it is Shark Week. :)

The problem with your question(s) is that I don't know what your question really is. Are you asking for the pros and cons of Haskell and Lisp? Are you asking which is "better"? Absent any other info, we're left wondering "Better for what?"

Are you just asking if people usually have a hard time selecting any specific language for a project because there is a choice of languages that are both appropriate but different in interesting (and possibly significant) ways?

Anyways, absent any other details, I'm just gonna say Haskell. :)

viscanti• 15 years ago

You can do most things with either language. If you feel that both languages are sufficient for the job, the first tie breaker would probably be library support. What kind of support is there currently for the problem you're trying to solve? If you're working with others, you'd be best served with using the choice they are most comfortable with, provided it meets your basic criteria.

If you're unable to make a decision, go with Haskell.

coppertony• 15 years ago

I think he's asking about, when we approach a new project, do we go through a lot of deliberation between two or more languages/ways of implementation. Or do we rather go with a standard or convention that we always use? It could also be in contrast to choosing between a wide field of possible languages for any particular project.

Lisp or Haskell (not a flame war)

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