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Yeah, it left me reeling. Some sacred cows were slain for sure :D


For the dev building the library static typing is a very convenient thing to have. All the ins and outs have very clear rules enforced at compile level.

However, for the user of the library, it simply gets in the way. This may be avoided though if the library has been designed well enough that strange internal types are not exposed to the user unless absolutely necessary.


Actually, I find the opposite to be the case--static typing helps me use unknown libraries. The types immediately let me know exactly what a function expects and what I should expect from a function. They also prevent me from using things incorrectly most of the time.

Essentially, the types are compiler-enforced documentation. They also make discovering functions easier--a type is a succinct summary of what a function does, so I can just browse by types to find what I want quickly. Augment this with great tooling like Hoogle (a type search engine) and you've got a truly awesome development system.


No! No. No.

Find what you need, and hire for talent...all else is smoke and noise!


Check this out, they've been around for a while.

http://mailnull.com/


I think semantically we're talking about two sides of the same coin. It's like asking if invention is the answer or the question.

I believe it is both in fact probably leaning a bit more on the question side of the equation.


This is even a mirror to the development process itself. The most difficult aspect of fixing a bug is identifying it.


A point to consider is that having .net or php on a resume gives a lot less information than say having ruby or python.

As a hiring manager I want developers who are interested in their craft beyond merely what they learned in school. Seeing experience with obscure tech or less popular languages is an easy way to spot this.

Assuming the candidate can back up what they say on the resume, it shows that they have enough confidence and ability to go off the beaten path.


Or they go so advanced they were able to intercept and snuff out all that alien porn before it got to us.

Maybe even an intergalactic SOPA is in place!


This article is not about the fermi paradox, it is just a soap box to warn against the misapplication of technology.

But back to the subject, I'm not sure if we are even smart enough to recognize any intelligence that does not resemble our own.

So far our solution to the fermi paradox may be summarized as: "We must stick them with quills! It's the only way!!"


Necessity is truly the mother of invention. Stubbornness being the daddy.


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