This talk will examine the promise, potential and pitfalls of functional programming (FP) - both as a potential alternative to and extension of more widely-used programming paradigms. Drawing on real-world industrial experience of the exclusive use of pure functional programming over the past 5 years, the talk will highlight the benefits but also the limitations of FP. Can all the benefits of FP be gained by extending a traditional language? From a pragmatic, industrial perspective does pure FP go too far? Does it go far enough? Talk objectives: To investigate the realities of using pure functional programming. Target audience: Professional software developers who are interested in Functional Programming but maybe have concerns / reservations about how it might play out in the real world. Is it all abstract mathematical nonsense about proving programs correct and talking about Monads, or could it actually be relevant to real people just wanting to get the job done?

No outline is available