The manifesto
Have you ever noticed that the first syllable in “functional programming” is “fun”?
I don’t think this is a coincidence. Let’s face the truth: there are some programming languages and technologies that are fun to use. They have a few things in common: consistent APIs, good documentation, and a clear syntax and structure. They are easy to write and maintain. They were written by passionate individuals and friendly communities.
However, if you have ever worked in the field of IT, you most likely know that there are also technologies that were designed to just make money for big companies, and nobody ever gave a thought to programmer happiness. Oracle doesn’t care if you are happy with MySQL and Java, nor does Microsoft mind that you find C# and MSSQL ugly.
When you work with a Boring Stack™, programming is just a job. The only thing that keeps you coding is the thought of next month’s paycheck. On the other hand, when you work with the stack you love, you don’t even feel like you’re working.
Now, what’s fun and what’s boring is completely subjective and personal. If you learned programming in the 90s and you still enjoy writing Delphi or ASP in 2020, then well, I am truly happy for you.
However, if you:
a) feel like your life is as devoid of meaning as that legacy Java project you’re maintaining,
b) feel suicidal trying to untangle the mess of a schemaless MongoDB data store designed by an intern in the remotest parts of the world,
c) were taught Java and C++ in college, but it was all just inheritance and factories, and you never really understood how anyone can actually enjoy programming,
If any of the above evaluates true, it seems like it’s time to Make Programming Fun Again.
My name is Karol Moroz. I’m a programming aficionado born and raised in Poland. I started making YouTube videos to share the joy of programming with the world.
My favorite language is Elixir, which is a functional programming language for the Erlang virtual machine, with a syntax influenced by Ruby, compile-time macros and great scalability. It goes very well with React, GraphQL, and PostgreSQL. So if you’re with me, leave your Boring Stack™ at work and treat yourself to some functional programming! Let’s Make Programming Fun Again!